💀🕸️ Original Art, Ofrendas, Symbols, History & More by Robert Collado🕸️ 💀
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10 Día de los Muertos Movies | Day of the Dead Art & Film
Macario
Macario — 1960
Release: June 9, 1960
Country: Mexico
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Runtime: 91 minutes
Director: Roberto Gavaldón
Producers: Armando Orive Alba and José Luis Celis
Screenplay: Emilio Carballido and Roberto Gavaldón, based on the work of B. Traven
Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa
Music: Raúl Lavista
Studio: Clasa Films Mundiales
Main Cast: Ignacio López Tarso as Macario, Pina Pellicer as Macario’s wife, Enrique Lucero as Death, José Gálvez as the Devil, José Luis Jiménez as God and Eduardo Fajardo as the Viceroy.
About the Film:
Macario is one of the classic Mexican films associated with death, remembrance and Día de los Muertos imagery. The story follows a poor man who dreams of eating an entire turkey by himself. When he finally receives one, he encounters God, the Devil and Death. Macario chooses to share his meal with Death, beginning a supernatural story about mortality and the value of life.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The film takes place around the season of All Saints and the Day of the Dead and uses distinctly Mexican attitudes toward death as a central theme. Its imagery of candles, death and the afterlife helped make Macario an important film in the visual history surrounding Día de los Muertos.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
Macario is especially important for artists because of Gabriel Figueroa’s dramatic black-and-white cinematography, its candle imagery and its personification of Death.
The Halloween Tree
The Halloween Tree — 1993
Release: October 30, 1993
Country: United States
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure
Runtime: 69 minutes
Director: Mario Piluso
Producer: Mario Piluso
Executive Producer: David Kirschner
Writer: Ray Bradbury
Studio: Hanna-Barbera Cartoons
Music: John Debney
Voice Cast: Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Moundshroud, Ray Bradbury as the Narrator, Annie Barker as Jenny, Alex Greenwald as Ralph, Edan Gross as Tom, Andrew Keegan as Wally and Kevin Smets as Pip.
About the Film:
Based on Ray Bradbury’s novel, The Halloween Tree follows a group of children traveling through history as they discover how different cultures have understood death, spirits and remembrance.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
One part of their journey takes them into Mexico and explores Día de los Muertos traditions. The film connects the celebration with a much larger history of how humanity remembers the dead.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
Its animated skeletons, graves, candles and cultural imagery make it useful when showing how Día de los Muertos has appeared in American animation.
Hasta los Huesos
Hasta los Huesos — 2001
English Title: Down to the Bone
Year: 2001
Country: Mexico
Genre: Stop-Motion Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Runtime: About 11 minutes
Director: René Castillo
Producers: Alejandra Guevara and René Castillo
Writer: René Castillo
Music: Café Tacvba
Art Direction: Cecilia Lagos
Production: IMCINE and Calavera Films
Voice Cast: Bruno Bichir, Eugenia León, Daniel Cubillo, Claudia Prado and Celso García.
About the Film:
Hasta los Huesos follows a recently deceased man who enters the world of the dead. Instead of finding only fear and darkness, he encounters a lively celebration filled with smiling calacas, music, dancing and La Catrina.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The short captures the distinctly Mexican idea that death can be remembered with humor, music, art and celebration rather than only sadness.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The stop-motion skeletons and La Catrina imagery make this one of the strongest early animated examples of the visual language associated with Día de los Muertos.
Interesting Fact:
Eugenia León performs “La Llorona,” while Café Tacvba contributed music to the production.
La Leyenda de la Nahuala
La Leyenda de la Nahuala — 2007
Release: November 1, 2007
Country: Mexico
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Horror, Family
Runtime: About 80–86 minutes
Director: Ricardo Arnaiz
Producers: Ricardo Arnaiz, Jean Pierre Leleu and Soco Aguilar
Writers: Omar Mustre and Antonio Garci
Music: Gabriel Villar
Studio: Animex Producciones
Voice Cast: Fabrizio Santini as Leo San Juan, Bruno Coronel as Nando, Ofelia Medina as La Nahuala, Germán Robles as Fray Godofredo, Andrés Bustamante as Don Andrés, Jesús Ochoa as Santos, Rafael Inclán as Alebrije and Martha Higareda as Xóchitl.
About the Film:
Set in Puebla in 1807, the animated story follows young Leo San Juan as he enters a haunted mansion to rescue his brother from the supernatural Nahuala.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The story specifically takes place during Día de Muertos. Spirits, legends and the relationship between the living and the dead are built directly into the setting.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The movie mixes Mexican folk legends with animated skulls, spirits, historic architecture and supernatural imagery.
Interesting Fact:
The film became an important success in Mexican animation and later launched the larger Las Leyendas franchise.
La Leyenda de la Llorona
La Leyenda de la Llorona — 2011
Year: 2011
Country: Mexico
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Horror, Adventure
Runtime: Approximately 75–85 minutes
Director: Alberto Rodríguez
Producers: Fernando de Fuentes and José Carlos García de Letona
Writers: Ricardo Arnaiz, Omar Mustre and Alberto Rodríguez
Music: Leoncio Lara
Studio: Ánima Estudios
Voice Cast: Yair Prado as Leo San Juan, Rocío Lara as La Llorona, Mónica del Carmen as Kika, Rafael Inclán as Alebrije, Andrés Couturier as Don Andrés and Mayté Cordeiro as Teodora.
About the Film:
Leo San Juan and his supernatural companions travel to Xochimilco and confront La Llorona, one of the most famous spirits in Mexican folklore.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
Although the film focuses primarily on the legend of La Llorona, its world of spirits, calaveritas, remembrance and the returning dead fits naturally beside Día de los Muertos traditions and imagery.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The movie brings together skeleton characters, supernatural folklore and Mexican visual culture in an animated setting.
Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos — 2013
Year: 2013
Country: United States
Genre: Animated Short, Family, Fantasy
Runtime: About 4 minutes
Directors: Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds and Lindsey St. Pierre
Writers: Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds and Lindsey St. Pierre
Music: Corey Wallace
Production: Ringling College of Art and Design
Voice Cast: Luisa D’Orey as the Little Niña.
About the Film:
This animated short follows a young girl who is transported into the Land of the Dead. There she encounters colorful skeletons and discovers that remembering loved ones can transform grief into celebration.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The entire short was created around the meaning of Día de los Muertos and the connection between living families and deceased loved ones.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The short is filled with colorful calaveras, flowers, candles and skeleton imagery and is an excellent example of Día de los Muertos influencing modern digital animation.
Interesting Fact:
The student film received the 2013 Student Academy Award Gold Medal in animation.
The Book of Life
The Book of Life — 2014
Release: October 17, 2014
Country: United States
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Runtime: 95 minutes
Director: Jorge R. Gutierrez
Writers: Jorge R. Gutierrez and Doug Langdale
Producers: Guillermo del Toro, Brad Booker, Aaron D. Berger and Carina Schulze
Studio: Reel FX Animation Studios / 20th Century Fox Animation
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla
Voice Cast: Diego Luna as Manolo, Zoe Saldaña as María, Channing Tatum as Joaquín, Kate del Castillo as La Muerte, Ron Perlman as Xibalba, Ice Cube as the Candle Maker and Christina Applegate as Mary Beth.
About the Film:
The Book of Life tells the story of Manolo, María and Joaquín while moving between the world of the living and spectacular realms of the dead.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The movie is directly inspired by Día de los Muertos and Mexican traditions surrounding remembrance, ancestors and the continuing relationship between the living and deceased.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
Its wooden skeletal characters, marigolds, candles, cemetery imagery and highly decorative environments made it one of the most visually recognizable Día de los Muertos-inspired animated films ever produced.
Spectre
Spectre — 2015
Release: November 6, 2015
Country: United Kingdom / United States
Genre: Action, Spy, Adventure
Runtime: 148 minutes
Director: Sam Mendes
Producers: Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
Writers: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth
Studio: EON Productions / MGM / Columbia Pictures
Main Cast: Daniel Craig as James Bond, Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser, Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Dave Bautista as Hinx and Stephanie Sigman as Estrella.
About the Film:
James Bond travels around the world while investigating the mysterious criminal organization SPECTRE.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The movie opens with one of cinema’s most famous Día de los Muertos sequences. Bond walks through Mexico City among giant skeleton puppets, calavera makeup, elaborate costumes and crowds of people celebrating the dead.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The opening sequence introduced millions of international viewers to large-scale Día de los Muertos-inspired costumes, skull makeup, skeleton art and public procession imagery.
Interesting Fact:
At the time the movie was filmed, Mexico City did not hold a parade exactly like the enormous procession shown in the film. A major public Día de Muertos parade was organized in Mexico City beginning the following year.
Coco
Coco — 2017
Release: November 22, 2017 in the United States
Country: United States
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Runtime: 105–106 minutes
Director: Lee Unkrich
Co-Director: Adrian Molina
Producer: Darla K. Anderson
Writers: Adrian Molina and Matthew Aldrich
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Voice Cast: Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel, Gael García Bernal as Héctor, Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz, Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda, Renée Victor as Abuelita and Ana Ofelia Murguía as Mamá Coco.
About the Film:
Coco follows Miguel, a young musician who accidentally crosses into the Land of the Dead during Día de los Muertos. With Héctor’s help, Miguel searches for the truth about his ancestors and discovers why remembering family members is so important.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
Día de los Muertos is at the center of the entire story. Ofrendas, family photographs, marigold petals, cemeteries, music and remembrance all play important roles.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
Coco introduced a global audience to highly detailed Día de los Muertos imagery including calacas, marigold bridges, papel picado, ofrendas and decorated skeletons.
Interesting Fact:
Coco premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico before its North American theatrical release.
Día de Muertos | / Salma’s Big Wish
Día de Muertos/ Salma’s Big Wish — 2019
English Title: Salma’s Big Wish
Year: 2019
Country: Mexico
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Runtime: About 88 minutes
Director: Carlos Gutiérrez Medrano
Writer: Juan José Medina
Studio: Metacube Entertainment
Voice Cast: Fernanda Castillo, Alan Estrada and Memo Aponte are among the film’s principal Spanish-language voice performers.
About the Film:
Salma is a 16-year-old orphan living in the town of Santa Clara. Every Día de Muertos, spirits return to visit their families, but Salma cannot summon her own parents because she does not know who they were. After discovering a mysterious book containing the history of her town, she begins an adventure to uncover her family’s past.
Día de los Muertos Connection:
The holiday is the foundation of the story. Returning spirits, ancestors, family memory and the relationship between the living and dead all drive Salma’s journey.
Day of the Dead Art Connection:
The film uses brightly colored skeleton imagery, flowers, supernatural landscapes and traditional Día de los Muertos visual themes throughout its animated world.