‘Día De Los Muertos’ Trademark Eyed By Disney; Mexican 'Day Of The Dead' Holiday Is Theme For New Movie

Every year, the 1st and 2nd of November, Mexico shuts down to celebrate "Día de los Muertos," a holiday to honor, pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. People build altars using sugar skulls, marigolds, and anything that the departed liked and visit their graves with these as gifts.

Celebrating the deaths of ancestors apparently has appealed a lot to Disney, who now wants to trademark "Día de los Muertos" because it has been selected as the topic of an upcoming film from Pixar Animation Studios.

UPDATE: Disney No Longer Seeking 'Día De Los Muertos' Trademark Following Online Outrage

UPDATE: 'Dia De Los Muertos' Disney Trademark Stopped By Grace Sesma Petitions; 17,000 Signatures Received

You must be thinking why promote a movie about death and target it to little kids. Well, think of it as a cultural experience. The "Día De Los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead" is not about portraying the morbid aspect of death, but celebrating life, and appreciating the good times people had while on earth.

If you think about it, it's about teaching the kids to leave a positive mark on the world so when time comes, people remember them, and value their contributions to society. They'll also learn about Mexican culture, which is very rich, interesting and colorful, and as a parent, you'll feel good to have a great educational family outing.

Among the trademark applications that The Walt Disney Company has filed for, are education and entertainment services, confectionery, cosmetics, transmission or reproduction of sound or images, computer programs, accessories, jewelry, paper articles, luggage, and more.

Even though the project is officially known (for now) as "The Untitled Pixar Movie about Dia de los Muertos," filing the application might indicate that the movie could actually be called "Día de los Muertos," and they want to play it safe with the name, since it's a popular celebration.

The film will be directed by Lee Unkrich and will hit the theatres in 2015.