Which holiday provides the setting for Coco’s journey into the Land of the Dead?

Día de los Muertos provides the setting for Coco’s journey into the Land of the Dead.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition that honors deceased family members. In Coco, the holiday allows the film to connect the living world with a vividly imagined Land of the Dead, where Miguel encounters generations of his relatives.

The story uses several recognizable traditions, including family altars called ofrendas, photographs of deceased relatives, marigold petals, candles, and offerings. The film presents remembrance as an active family responsibility: the dead continue to exist in the story as long as the living remember them.

Día de los Muertos is not the same as Halloween, although the two holidays occur close together on the calendar. Its practices vary across Mexico and among Mexican communities worldwide. Coco draws on the holiday while telling an original fantasy story rather than presenting a documentary account.