Land of the Dead

The Land of the Dead is a realm in the Pixar film Coco. It is an underworld known in Mexican folklore as the final destination for spirits of the deceased.

Background
The Land of the Dead is a realm with complex dimensions occupying deep space. In its heart is a large city full of bright lights and colors, while bridges covered with marigold petals branch from the city for the dead to venture across. The structures in the city are actually buildings upon buildings of previous homes, as the world is constantly expanding to accommodate the new souls that enter. The only beings that inhabit this world are human and animal spirits of the deceased (who have the appearance of "living" skeletons) and the animal-like Alebrije. The alebrije not only coexist with the humans of the afterlife, but also act as a guide for the ones who need them.

Reflecting Mexican folklore, the souls of those departed come to the land when they die. Although, in death, the spirit will appear as the age when they died. They also retain the status they had in life, thus there are spirits that are considered celebrities, while other spirits continue their former occupation. The spirit will reunite with their loved ones in the afterlife, but on Día de Los Muertos, those souls can cross over the bridges and return to the Land of the Living to see their living relatives once again. As long as these souls have a picture of who they were in life on their family's ofrenda (altar), they can cross the bridge successfully. In order to get back into the Land of the Dead however, spirits must present ethereal copies of the offerings from their family's ofrenda.

If a human enters the Land of the Dead by disturbing or stealing from a gravesite during Día de Los Muertos, they gradually turn into a spirit and remain trapped in the realm if they can't leave by sunrise. They will need the spirit of a family member (or at least, a spirit the person thinks of as family ) to bless a marigold petal to return them to the Land of the Living. However, the spirit can add any conditions they desire to the blessing; if the human breaks them after accepting the blessing, they instantly return to the Land of the Dead.

Despite their nigh-eternal existence in the Land of the Dead, the spirits depend on the memories of their living family members to continue to exist. In fact, the realm works around three types of "deaths" that each spirit goes through: The first is the last breath the spirit takes when they were human; the second is their own burial; and the third is when the last person who remembers them dies. The third type is considered a "final death" for the spirit, for when they are no longer remembered, they fade into oblivion. But if the person tells the stories of who the spirit was to other people, and the people wish to remember the spirit, the spirit can continue to exist.

Places of Interest

 * Marigold Bridge - Colossal bridges made from marigold petals, they connect the land to the cemeteries in the Land of the Living. Multiple bridges are connected to the city. The bridges themselves are sentient: they would allow any soul whose picture is displayed on the family ofrenda to successfully cross them. They can also prevent any unwanted souls from trying to cross to the Land of the Living by making them drown in them.
 * Marigold Grand Central Station - A large complex that is the realm's main transport system.
 * Department of Family Reunions - A resources department responsible for directing new arrivals to their respective family clans. They use ofrendas from the Land of the Living to locate and direct the spirits.
 * Arts District - A section of deceased artists, the dead here are found doing what they loved when they were alive.
 * Plaza de la Cruz - A plaza dedicated to Ernesto de la Cruz. It features a statue of the musician in the center, just like its counterpart in Santa Cecilia, the Mariachi Plaza.

Trivia

 * Several Mexican stars and idols make cameos in the Land of the Dead, including Frida Kahlo, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Maria Felix, Agustín Lara, Cantinflas, El Santo and Zapata.
 * Alebrije were not traditionally tied to Dia de Los Muertos; however, the filmmakers felt the folk art would be well-represented in the film and were excited to see these figurines come to life. In addition, Pedro Linares, the creator of alebrije, dreamed of these creatures when he was sick and near-death, leading to him creating the art. The Coco team saw the connection between the alebrije and death to incorporate them into the Land of the Dead, as guides in the spiritual world.
 * Marigolds (or cempasúchil) are present throughout the land, as it is said that marigold flowers emit pleasant aromas that attract the dead and lead them back to their families.