What Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico taught me about the surprising relationship between movies, memory, and honoring our dead.
Marigolds, candles, and families gathering to remember loved ones during Día de los Muertos in Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán, November 1, 2025. Photo by Gail Rubin.
Can a movie actually change the way people celebrate a holiday?
When it comes to Día de los Muertos, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, the answer is yes!
I’ve long been fascinated by the way movies portray death and funeral traditions. But during my travels in Mexico in 2025, I learned something even more intriguing: Sometimes the movies influence the traditions themselves.
Consider two films made more than half a century apart: Macario (1960) and the James Bond thriller Spectre (2015).
Both offer fascinating examples of the relationship between cinema and Mexico’s celebrations of the dead.
And they provide the perfect excuse to revisit some wonderful Mortality Movies for Día de los Muertos. You can read the original 2025 article about these films here.
Experiencing Day of the Dead in Mexico
On November 1, 2025, I had the opportunity to experience Día de los Muertos celebrations in Tzintzuntzan, a historic town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, along the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro.
Tzintzuntzan is designated a Pueblo Mágico, or Magical Town, in recognition of its cultural and historical significance. Its name means “Place of the Hummingbirds” in the Purépecha language. Once the capital of the powerful Purépecha civilization, the town is renowned for its Day of the Dead traditions.
I recorded footage of the celebrations and recently put together a 7½-minute video so you can experience some of the sights yourself.
Watch: Scenes from Day of the Dead in Mexico
Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween. It’s a time to remember and welcome deceased loved ones through colorful, meaningful traditions.
Families create ofrendas, altars displaying photographs, candles, marigolds, favorite foods, beverages, and personal objects associated with those who have died. Communities gather to honor their ancestors through remembrance, music, food, and celebration.
Experiencing these traditions firsthand reinforced something I’ve been teaching for years: Remembering our dead doesn’t have to be exclusively solemn. There can be tremendous joy in keeping their memories alive.
Macario (1960): Did a Movie Change the Ofrendas?
Bananas, pineapples, bread, and other foods displayed among marigolds on a Día de los Muertos ofrenda. Photo by Gail Rubin.
One of Mexico’s most important films about mortality is Macario, directed by Roberto Gavaldón and beautifully photographed by Gabriel Figueroa.
Set around Día de los Muertos, the film tells the story of a desperately poor woodcutter who dreams of eating an entire turkey by himself.
When he finally gets his wish, he encounters three mysterious visitors: the Devil, God, and Death.
His encounter with Death changes his fortunes but also teaches him that mortality cannot be bargained away forever. It also reminds us that Death doesn’t discriminate. Rich or poor, we’re all on the same guest list.
While touring the historic center of Morelia, Michoacán, I admired elaborate ofrendas and memorial blanket displays honoring the dead. Our guide shared a fascinating story about how the 1960 Mexican film Macario may have influenced the foods displayed on these altars.
Photographs of deceased loved ones are surrounded by marigolds, fruit, candles, and other offerings in this colorful memorial display. Photo by Gail Rubin.
Traditionally, food offerings reflected the local harvest, including corn, beans, and squash. According to our guide, when the filmmakers were decorating ofrendas for Macario, they visited local markets and purchased bananas and pineapples to include in the scenes. After audiences saw those fruits in the movie, the guide explained, they became more widely incorporated into Mexican families’ ofrendas.
I haven’t independently verified this story, and food traditions vary throughout Mexico. But it’s a fascinating example of how cinema might influence cultural practices. My photographs show bananas and pineapples prominently displayed alongside marigolds, bread, and other traditional offerings.
It raises an intriguing question: Do movies simply reflect our traditions, or can they help create new ones?
Spectre (2015): When Hollywood Invented a Parade
Here’s a case where the film’s influence is well documented.
The James Bond movie Spectre, starring Daniel Craig, opens with an elaborate Día de los Muertos parade through Mexico City’s historic center.
There are giant skeletons, elaborate costumes, enormous crowds, and spectacular action sequences.
The only problem? That particular parade didn’t exist as an annual tradition when the movie was made!
Inspired by the film, Mexico City organized its first large-scale Day of the Dead parade in 2016.
The event became an annual celebration, attracting enormous crowds and international attention. In 2026, it marks its tenth anniversary.
Talk about life imitating art!
Of course, Mexico’s Día de los Muertos traditions existed for centuries before James Bond came along. The parade is a modern addition to a much older and deeply meaningful observance.
It’s a wonderful example of how traditions can evolve, sometimes with a little help from Hollywood.
Coco (2017): Remember Me
‘Coco’ scene from Pixar/Disney
For many American families, Disney-Pixar’s Coco provides their first introduction to Día de los Muertos.
Young Miguel dreams of becoming a musician, despite his family’s longstanding prohibition against music.
His adventures in the Land of the Dead reveal the importance of family history, remembrance, and maintaining connections between generations.
The film beautifully illustrates the significance of ofrendas and photographs of deceased relatives.
Its central message is especially meaningful: Our loved ones continue to influence our lives through the stories and memories we preserve.
Coco is one of my favorite films for starting conversations with children and adults about death.
And yes, it can bring tears to your eyes. I cry every time we get to the end of the film.
The Book of Life (2014): Love Beyond Death
Directed by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and produced by Guillermo del Toro, The Book of Life offers another colorful interpretation of Mexican traditions.
Its imaginative worlds of the Remembered and the Forgotten reinforce the importance of keeping ancestors’ memories alive.
The story follows Manolo, a young man torn between family expectations and his passion for music.
Like Coco, the film celebrates family connections, cultural identity, and the idea that love can transcend death.
The two films would make an excellent double feature for a family Mortality Movie Night.
Two More Day of the Dead Films Worth Discovering
For viewers interested in exploring beyond the best-known animated features, I recommend two additional films.
The Big Wish (2019), originally titled Día de Muertos, follows a young orphan named Salma as she searches for information about her parents. It’s an animated adventure about identity, ancestry, and belonging.
Under the Volcano (1984), directed by John Huston and starring Albert Finney, offers a much darker experience. Set during Día de los Muertos in 1938, it follows a troubled former British consul confronting alcoholism, regret, and personal destruction.
The holiday’s celebrations provide a striking contrast to his emotional isolation.
Both films remind us that Día de los Muertos can inspire very different cinematic stories.
Candlelight illuminates graves decorated with marigolds and personal offerings during Día de los Muertos in Tzintzuntzan. Photo by Gail Rubin.
What the Movies Teach Us
Whether we’re watching Macario, Coco, or a James Bond chase through Mexico City, these films reveal something important about how cultures understand death.
The rituals of remembrance connect generations. The stories we tell keep family histories alive. And the images we see on screen can influence how we imagine, interpret, and sometimes even celebrate those traditions.
Gail Rubin at Day of the Dead in Mexico.
My experiences in Mexico reminded me that death education doesn’t always happen in a classroom or funeral home.
Sometimes it happens at a cemetery filled with marigolds.
Sometimes it happens around an ofrenda.
And sometimes it happens while watching a movie.
Have you experienced Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico or elsewhere? Which movie best captures the spirit of remembering our ancestors? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.
More Mortality Movies to Explore
My book, 98.6 Mortality Movies to See Before You Die, explores 142 films and television programs that help us discuss death, funerals, grief, and end-of-life planning.
And paid subscribers to Mortality Movies with The Doyenne of Death® can enjoy all 16 complete television episodes, with movie clips included, without jumping back and forth to YouTube.
Visit gailrubin.substack.com to learn more.
Remember, talking about funerals won’t make you dead. And remembering our dead can help us celebrate the lives they lived.