Day of the Dead Headed Your Way

Sugar Skull Pumpkin from crumbsofglory.tumblr.com

The 'Day of the Dead' is headed your way just in time for Halloween this year! Is it just me, or does everyone just love the colors and details and sugar skulls associated with Dia de los Muertos?!  This is a Mexican celebration that honors those who have passed on.  It's no depressing, morose affair geared to cast gloom and sadness....but rather it is a colorful, festive cacophony of light, sound, colors, flowers, candles, dancing and skulls....lots of artistic skeletons and skulls.  And the celebration is a joyful one that encourages people not to fear death, but to embrace the memories of those passed on and celebrate them with fond remembrance.  I have been a collector of Dia de los Muertos art and relics for quite awhile.  I suppose it's a natural progression for those of us who love Halloween to also love the aesthetic of the Day of the Dead.  And when I first started collecting, there was little merchandise to be found locally in stores, and what could be located, would usually sell out very quickly.  
Fast forward to this year...and I've noticed something very interesting while making my Halloween rounds...many of the stores that carry Halloween merchandise, also have Day of the Dead items in stock this year....Michael's, World Market, Kirklands, Home Goods just to name a few.  I find this a most exciting development, and welcome addition to my Halloween procurement activities.  Below is a photo I took of the Day of the Dead shelf at Michael's.

Day of the Dead Merchandise at Michael's

But I also discovered something else....apparently 'Dia de los Muertos' has seeped into the American mainstream consciousness, for in addition to an increased presence of Day of the Dead merchandise and brand packaging, there are also several 'Day of the Dead' animated movies slated to premier this year as well...that's new!  

The first one oddly enough, will be called "The Book of Life".  This full length animated movie by Reel FX Creative Studios and 20th Century Fox is slated to hit theaters mid October.  What a perfect time for this movie to debut.  "The Book of Life" is, according to IMDb...."set on the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, and tells of a young man named Manolo who is torn between what he wants to do (play guitar and win the heart of the girl of his dreams) and what his family wants him to do. He ends up traveling across three different worlds to find himself." 

Animator Jorge Gutierrez co-wrote and directed the movie.  He said, the art in this movie "takes its building blocks from Mexican folk art, old Mexican movies and stories from my childhood."  The art work is indeed richly detailed and vibrant, just as you'd expect to see during the colorful and festive Dia de los Muertos celebrations.  I especially love the night lighting and village scenes...which remind me of some of the magical night scenes found in Coraline.  Regardless, the movie will be coming out at the perfect time of year, slated for October 17th, making it a must-see for the upcoming Halloween Season!   
The other slated Dia de los Muertos movie is an animated film by Disney's Pixar Studios. However, there was a rather cringe worthy controversy that plagued Disney earlier this year when they actually had the audacity to try and trademark the phrase "Day of the Dead" / "Dia de los Muertos"!!!!!  Are you kidding me?  Yep, they actually felt they had a right to co-opt an entire culture's long standing traditional holiday, along with merchandising rights for Day of the Dead paraphernalia!  Eeeegads!  Now I love Disney, and I love Pixar Studios even more....but that is down right arrogant, absurd and totally unacceptable!  And apparently the Latino community felt very much the same about it, and took to the inter-web to voice their objections!  Thankfully, someone at Disney came to their senses and the trademark request was withdrawn.  Besides, where would they have gone next....Christmas, Hanukkah, or (shudders).....Halloween?!  That's just preposterous...but moving forward, the Pixar movie itself is still a good possibility for 2016, and it will no doubt be terrific!  

In the meantime...be sure to add   "The Book of Life" movie to your October activities this Fall!  And check out "The Book of Life" Official Movie Trailer below.

 THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future. (Official Movie Trailer Below)

All "Book of Life" Images © Reel FX Creative Studios / 20th Century Fox