The Disney-Pixar movie that helped popularize massive Day of the Dead celebrations is *Coco*.
Released in 2017, *Coco* follows Miguel, a young aspiring musician who enters the Land of the Dead during Día de los Muertos. The film presents family remembrance, ofrendas, marigolds, music and the importance of remembering ancestors through a colorful story rooted in Mexican traditions. Its international success brought the holiday’s imagery and themes to a much wider audience.
*Coco* did not create Day of the Dead, which has deep Indigenous and Catholic influences and was celebrated long before the film. It also was not the first movie to feature the holiday: the 2014 animated film *The Book of Life* did so earlier. *Coco* nevertheless became the most globally prominent Disney-Pixar treatment and helped make large public celebrations more familiar around the world.