Kid-friendly recommendations for Dia de Los Muertos

Despite spooky season still being in full swing with Halloween literally a day, the preparations for Dia de Los Muertos are underway for the millions of families worldwide that celebrate it. A major family-centric holiday in Mexico, the United States, as well as a handful of Latin American nations, Nov. 1-2 commemorate family members who have passed. It’s a vibrant and lively affair full of festive food, songs and decorated sugar skulls, a stark contrast from the usual somber black mourning that a majority of Western cultures take on when it comes to death.

For as much as this holiday has become more known in recent years thanks to pop culture, introducing the concept of the celebration to children can definitely be made easier with the following family-friendly shows…

Kid-friendly recommendations for Dia de Los Muertos

Coco

To no one’s surprise, this heartwarming Disney hit from 2017 tops almost every list of movies about the kaleidoscopic fiesta. It follows the story of musically inclined Miguel, who belongs to a family that has banned the playing of guitars and music as a whole for three generations. In an attempt to get his great-great-grandfather’s blessing from across the grave, Miguel steps into the Land of the Dead hoping against hope to prove that music and family go hand in hand. It can be streamed on Disney+ and rented through Prime Video, YouTube, AppleTV and Google Play.

Book of Life

Produced by none other than the legendary Guillermo del Toro in 2014, the Book of Life portrays the rich tapestry of Dia de Los Muertos and how its roots come from legends, beliefs and rituals that began with the pre-Hispanic Aztec people. Manolo, a young bullfighter, travels through the three realms of the dead in an attempt to get the deities Xibalba and La Muerte to give him a second chance at life. It can be both rented and purchased from Prime Video, YouTube, AppleTV and Google Play.

Dia de Los Muertos

This 3-minute cartoon might be ultra-short compared to the feature-length movies listed before it, but this heartfelt little adventure of a young girl mourning the loss of her mother definitely nails the entire meaning behind the lively, polychromatic celebration. It can be watched for free on YouTube.

The Catrina Mystery 

PBSkids has a plethora of series for kids that talk about diversity and culture, one of them being Rosie’s Rules. In this episode, Rosie is tasked with placing the figurine of La Catrina on the family ofrenda, only to find that it disappears. Fun and quirky enough for children from the age of 3 to enjoy, it still takes its time to explain the significance of La Catrina for the holiday and for families that commemorate their ancestors. The episode streams for free on PBSkids.

What’s the Big Idea/Dia de Los Muertos

Another wonderful offering from PBSkids, Let’s Go Luna explores the cultural importance of remembering the dead in Mexico City, making it a point to zero in on the common misconception that the celebration is the same as Halloween. The educational but fun episode shows kids how the fiesta is its own distinct tradition in that it exists to lovingly remember departed friends and family, and is not meant to be spooky.

Which of these kid-friendly movies will you be watching? Did we miss any you believe should be on this list?