letsfollowthesedays:

I’ve been trying to figure out how to answer this and this is what I’ve come up with:

Nonny, are you Mexican, or Chican@ or Latin@?  If yes, then I respect your opinion.  It differs greatly from mine, but we are the people who are in the place to determine whether or not this movie is racist.  I don’t think it is, but you opinion on it is probably just as legitimate as mine.  I’d be interested in knowing why you think it’s racist.

Nonny, if you are not Mexican, Chican@, or Latin@ - stop.  I am Mexican, I’m in a position to understand if this movie is racist because it’s my culture you think is being treated inappropriately.  And I’m gonna be honest with you: I cried while watching this movie not because of the plot, but because I was so fucking happy to see a mainstream kids’ movie with a plot focused on being Mexican, chock full of Chican@ and Latin@ voice actors and talent, and directed by Jorge Gutierrez (who is Mexican).  Never before in my life have I seen a mainstream movie with so many Mexican characters and such a positive representation us.  Usually we end up being the gang members.  The drug dealers.  The santos practicing mystic witchcraft in the back of a 7-11, the maids, the sex workers.  And while all of those are definitely lived experiences of some Mexican people, they are depictions that contribute to white people seeing us in a negative light.  This movie does a beautiful job of treating Mexican people like, you know, actual people while also explaining what Día de Muertos is about - and Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday that frequently suffers from cultural appropriation by white people who don’t understand what it’s about.  Hint: Día de Muertos is not about sugar skulls. Not to mention, this movie has strong, wonderful, women who have agency and character development and just ugh.  Beautiful.