Coco Can't Culture

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2018)

Overall, I feel as if the movie Coco, was an exceptional film. But, as with every movie, there are a couple downsides. The main downside that I noticed was that the cultural aspects in the movie didn't represent the proper Mexican culture. I think that the movie was great for the reason that it really shows the children watching what Dia De Los Muertos is all about. I didn't know what the holiday was until I went into highschool, but I think that since the movie teaches the kids so early about this culture/holiday, it's a great film. On the other hand, the movie isn't culturally correct. I know that children's movies are supposed to make the movie more magical and more beautiful than real life, and Coco demonstrated that. But the movie was trying to remain culturally accurate and failed.
The first thing I noticed is that the ofrenda (altar) in the movie didn't represent what ofrendas in real life look like. In Coco, there are pictures opon pictures of family members on the ofrenda. In real life, ofrendas are not as extravagant as portrayed in the movie. From the information I gathered from David Baez, (Guerrero Baez, David, "Mexican Culture", English 2 class, Douglas County Public Schools, Mountain Vista High school, Highlands Ranch, CO, Guest speaker)they are simply laid out on a plastic card tables and have only has one or two pictures of family members. Or at least that is how his family celebrates. The movie ofrenda also had more food and objects that the passed relative loved. In real life, the family only puts out the sweet bread, a favorite food and one favorite object. Although the movie was very beautiful and colorful, that just isn't how it is in real life.
Another thing that I really didn't think was accurate about Coco, is that there are actually TWO days of the dead. The movie didn't even mention el Dia de los inocentes (Day of the innocents). According to David Baez (Guerrero Baez, David, "Mexican Culture", English 2 class, Douglas County Public Schools, Mountain Vista High school, Highlands Ranch, CO, Guest speaker), this day is celebrating the children that have passed that are younger than 18 years old. It's not like this day isn't equal or isn't as fun as Dia de los muertos. Because it is equal! The people in Mexico party just as hard for the children's day as they do for the other day. It really bothers me that this wasn't mentioned because it is a HUGE part of the celebration and not one thing was said about it.
All in all, I felt like Coco was a great movie with a great story line if you aren't fully focused on the cultural accuracy of the film. By having incorrect facts in the movie, this causes confusion that might never be resolved in the viewers life. The viewers of the movie might learn the true meaning and traditions of Dia de los Muertos, but as a reviewer, I'd rather the viewers learn now.