Marigolds, papel picado and alebrijes: The visual language of the new Disney-Pixar film 'Coco' (2024)

FAQs

What do the marigolds symbolize in Coco? ›

The marigold bridge is used by ancestors to cross over into the land of the living on the Day of the Dead. "The marigold bridge literally connects those two worlds and that is building on the mythology of marigold petals representing the path to family," said Harley Jessup, Coco production designer.

Papel picado is the colorful perforated tissue paper that is usually found hanging in Mexican restaurants to provide a festive atmosphere. It also plays an important role in Day of the Dead celebrations. In pre-Columbian times, Aztecs hung paper over altars to represent the wind.

The orange flower seen throughout the film is the Aztec marigold (known also as the Mexican marigold or the Cempasúchil). The flower is used in the tradition of Dia de los Muertos in México to guide the deceased to the living.

Presented in Coco as spirit animals, alebrijes, fantastical creatures made out of paper maché or carved from wood, are not specifically associated with Día de Muertos in Mexican culture.

Papel picado serves as a colorful and meaningful trim: black represents death, purple means grief of mourning, pink is celebration, white symbolizes hope and yellow stands for the sun. Sugar skulls, or calaveras, add a lighthearted touch, for both the dead and the living.

Miss Lottie's marigolds represent the possibility of a happy, beautiful life—even amid the dreariness of poverty. Lizabeth describes the shantytown where she lives as grim, dusty, and colorless. Since she's a child, she's not consciously aware of how poor she is, but she does see how miserable her surroundings are.

Disney Pixar's Coco follows the journey of young Miguel to find his great-great grandfather in the Land of the Dead. Coco provides us with a strong reminder that despite death, family history can transcend the years and continue to shape our families for generations to come.

Coco​ is a lovely representation of the heartwarming tradition of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which celebrates and remembers family members who have passed on. The film focuses on, Miguel, a young boy who dreams of becoming a big musician, despite his families generational ban on music.

Flowers, Butterflies and Skulls Are Common Symbols

Throughout the Coco movie, you will see many of these elements. But most notable are the presence of marigold flowers throughout the Land of the Dead.

Entering the Land of the Dead

In their visits to Mexico on Día de los Muertos, the filmmakers would see trails of marigold petals leading from cemeteries to houses — a symbolic path to help guide ancestors home.

What does Coco teach us about the Day of the Dead? ›

Coco revolves around the tradition of the Day of the Dead and represents the Mexican customs of this day. It speaks of the altar of the dead and the flower of Cempasúchil (a Mexican flower) that plays an important role because according to ancient traditions this flower connects both worlds and guides the dead.

Dante was inspired by the Xoloitzcuintle breed (or “Xolo”), which is also the Mexico's national dog. The Xolo is featured in legends of the Aztec afterlife where Xolos act as spirit guides to the dead as they make their journey to the underworld.

The Mexican traditions in "Coco" are not only accurate; they are also crafted with genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for the culture of Mexico itself, built organically from real-life experience.

The origin of the Alebrijes can be traced to Pedro Linares, an artist who lived in Mexico City in the 1930s. Linares said that in 1936 he was very ill and then became unconscious. While in a state of unconsciousness, he began to hallucinate and see visions of a forest with strange animals.

The word Alebrije means “imaginary” or “fantasy,” describing a style of animal carvings with exceptional paint schemes.

Prized for their bright coloring and potent fragrance, marigolds are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the ofrendas prepared for them. Families will often scatter marigold petals forming a path from their front doors to the ofrenda waiting within the home.

Papel picado, or traditional paper banners, represent the wind. Earth is represented by food, especially bread. Candles are often left in the form of a cross to represent the cardinal directions, so the spirits can find their way. Every state in Mexico has its own particular way of setting up their ofrendas.

The film is rich in Day of the Dead imagery such as decorated cemeteries and ofrendas (offerings)—temporary memorial spaces devoted to deceased family and friends. These spaces are filled with favorite foods and beverages, images of loved ones, candles and an abundance of cempasúchil (marigolds).

In the story Marigolds, by Eugenia Collier, the reader discovers the theme is to be innocent is to be a child and in order for one to mature, they must become compassionate.

Even the title of the story is symbolic “The Flowers” stands for the childhood purity and its loss. Throughout the story, Walker uses flowers to depict both innocence and the loss of it. Moreover, she specifically has named the little girl Myop – short for Myopia.

What figurative language is in marigolds? ›

Figurative Language

Lizabeth uses the hyperbole when her father is crying, because he is incapable of finding a job. She remembers an easier time when, "[He] laughed so loud that the great oak seemed to laugh with him" (Collier 147).

The main thread throughout the movie is the importance of family. If we are lucky enough to have a family that loves and cares for us we should return that love to them and never forget them even after they pass to the other side.

In the movie's final act, Miguel returns to the living and hopes to restore Coco's memories of Héctor. The song returns again. He pleads with her: “I saw your papá!” Hunched over in her wheelchair, she seems to stare off into nowhere.

“Coco,” one of the largest U.S. productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast, is drawing large audiences among Latinos for its depiction of Mexican culture at a time when many feel uneasy about their place in the nation's policies, including immigration.

The book also includes monarch butterflies, which she said “signify the spirits of loved ones coming to visit.” She added that the teacher in the book is named after a dear friend who was also a teacher and passed away at a young age.

Coco's memory loss looks like the result of dementia, a series of brain changes that make it harder to think, remember, communicate, and function. Dementia affects 47 million people worldwide, and although the movie never names it specifically, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause for people over age 65.

“If there's no one left in the living world to remember you, you disappear from this world.

The Final Death occurs to be a dead spirit in the Land of the Dead if nobody in the Land of the Living remembers them. They will become weaker as the last living person who remembers them begins to forget them, and will eventually fade away into oblivion as they are forgotten.

Besides the covering the topics of dreams and family, the movie reveals an important idea about memory: 'memory defines who we are to some extent'. The people in the land of the dead only exist because they live in other people's memories.

We, the Body of Christ who are still in this world, can perform atonement works for all the souls in purgatory. That's why praying for those who have nobody to pray for them is so important, that no one will end up in Shanty Town. Chicharron disappears MIGUEL: Wait -- what happened? HÉCTOR: He's been forgotten.

Is Coco a boy or girl dog name? ›

While Coco is a very popular choice of dog name for both boys and girls, Disney fans know that the name is far more special than that. The 2017 Disney-Pixar film Coco is a true celebration of Mexican culture. Mamá Coco is a kind-hearted old woman and the cherished great-grandmother of the film's protagonist, Miguel.

Pepita is an Alebrije who appears in the 2017 Pixar film, Coco. She was Mamma Imelda's pet Maine Coon cat when she was alive, and served as her Alebrije spirit guide in the afterlife. She is shown in her living form at the end of the movie, accompanying Dante.

Dante is an adorable brown, hairless Xolo dog. He has a pink tongue that usually lags on the side of his mouth.

But it was the appreciation and affection received in Mexico, where it opened first, that spoke volumes to Unkrich, Molina and Anderson. “It was very important to the team that it be a true representation of a Mexican family,” Molina said.

The dilemma is the tension between individual and community, between the free self and the claims of family and tradition. In Martin Heidegger's terms, we must balance determination and freedom – we are thrown into a world not of our making, yet we project forward through our choices.

Mexicans often "hold" a gesture (a handshake, a squeeze of the arm, a hug) longer than Americans and Canadians do. Don't stand with your hands on your hips; this signifies anger. It is considered rude to stand around with your hands in your pockets.

Pedro Linares' grandson, Leonardo Linares Vargas said that he believes Alebrijes should contain qualities of animals from 3 out of the 4 elements (air, water, earth, fire).

Los alebrijes are Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical animals invented by Pedro Linares López in 1936 in Mexico. They're made of paper or wood and represent an imaginary animal, combining the form of two or more animals.

Their role was to link the spirits and the real world and guide a person through their lives. Spiritual guides for your soul, reminders of your place in the world, and society, holders of the torch; They are meant to lead you in your path and help you become who you are supposed to be.

How to know my spirit animal? ›

Flowers, Butterflies and Skulls Are Common Symbols

Throughout the Coco movie, you will see many of these elements. But most notable are the presence of marigold flowers throughout the Land of the Dead.

Wong relate to the theme that “the road to growing up and maturing isn't always smooth”. “Marigolds is the story of an adolescent who is growing up in the Great Depression. Through hard experiences and tumultuous emotions, the narrator learns that growing up is full of ups and downs.

Here are the ofrendas that you will typically see on a Dia de los Muertos altar: Candles - Candles are lit to welcome the spirits back to their altars. Marigolds - These yellow-orange flowers, also called cempasúchitl, symbolize death. Their strong fragrance also help lead the dead back to their altars.

The driving goal of the film was to “ensure that Mexicans and Mexican Americans felt that their cultural traditions were respected.” The big theme stemming from ​Coco​ is that death is not something that should be feared and the driving force of the film is a focus on the family.

The movie Coco was released in November of 2017 and has had a lot of buzz since then. The Disney cartoon follows a young boy wanting to become a musician and trying to follow in his Mexican tradition.

It was found that there were nine types of moral values found in the movie "Coco". They are honesty, courage, peace of ability, self-confidence and potential, loyalty and dependability, respect, love and affection, unselfishness and sensitivity and finally, kindness and friendliness.

In modern western culture, marigolds symbolize positive emotions and energy. They are effective in bringing joy and optimism owing to their vibrant colours, which probably is the reason for their inclusion in festivities in India.

After hearing what her parents had to say in their conversation, she comes to the conclusion that if her life is not fair, then the life of others should not be fair either. The conclusion that Lizabeth comes to indirectly characterizes her as depressed as she feels as if her life is empty.

What is the belief behind the color and scent of the flower marigold? ›

It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and pungent scent. Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.

Prized for their bright coloring and potent fragrance, marigolds are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the ofrendas prepared for them. Families will often scatter marigold petals forming a path from their front doors to the ofrenda waiting within the home.

The candlelight symbolizes birth, death, resurrection, and sacredness. It also represents the light amid the darkness of life, bright future, vitality of the sun, or uncertainty of life and transience. Candles lit at the time of death give light to the darkness of death and symbolize the light in the afterlife.