The Importance Of Death In Coco By Disney Pixar

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Art has almost always been seen in a subjective light, everybody's free to see and chose what counts as art in their eyes. And while that freedom is great for each individual, that freedom makes it hard to make a definition that fits everybody’s differing opinions. Hubert Dreyfus and Sean D. Kelly, authors of All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age, have theorized many works of art have the power to bring forward aspects of life that could have been long overshadowed. One such work is the 2017 movie Coco by Disney Pixar, which explores the Mexican traditions regarding death and the afterlife. While in Mexico these traditions might be common practice, the importance of death within the movie may allow Through Miguel’s journey, the audience gets to see various traditions come to life and how the Land of the Living keeps its connections with those who have passed away. Whether it be through the ofrendas that keep the pictures of our loved ones to the alebrije spirits that guide the dead to the Land of the Dead, Disney Pixar put as much attention to the subtle details as they do to their top notch animation. Even the more niche details, such as the cempasuchil flowers and the story of “La Llorona” that have become synonymous with the Mexican holiday found their way into the movie. The imagery and symbolism present in the movie are just a part of the theme of the movie, but Disney Pixar made conscious decisions to pick and chose what was hidden or showcased. By Dreyfus and Kelly’s terms, Pixar became the articulators of Mexican culture by deciding to make a film regarding the importance of death in Under the definition that Dreyfus and Kelly provided, art has the power to express an even stronger version of a culture through the sum of its parts. Disney Pixar’s Coco is a prime example of representation done right, they respected the culture the movie was based off of and managed to spark interest in their traditions of death due to their far reach. If more examples like Coco can be made, there is no doubt that the influence of those movies could inspire completely new traditions for death or any other long overlooked part of

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