Animated Short Film Gives Dia De Los Muertos A New Spin [VIDEO]

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican and Central American tradition that has become big business in the United States because it falls on November 2, and it's colorful sugar skulls and celebrations in cemeteries follow nicely after Halloween. But for many, even though it is a celebration of the life of their dead loved ones, it is a serious event.

Families spend a lot of time building altars with food, pictures, and decorations that the deceased loved. People decorate graves, mariachis play in the cemetery, and there is a general feeling of partying. I don't mind the idea of ghosts, as long as they don't talk to me or appear before me, and that's why I really like Dia de los Muertos.

Losing someone close to you is devastating, but the idea that the line between you can be blurred enough that you can celebrate their lives in such a joyful way makes things easier, if even just for a day. There is nothing that can replace that lost loved one, but as in this video made by a film school student, Dia de los Muertos can help us feel a little closer to our departed loved ones and help us deal with the grief of losing them.