According to Spanish club leader junior Katie Christiansen, people were attracted to the meeting March 7 to watch the movie “Coco”, and see its ties to Spanish culture.

“‘Coco’ won a lot of awards, so it is obviously a well received movie but also really connected to the Spanish-speaking culture, so I think a lot of the reason people came is that the movie is so well acclaimed,” Christiansen said.

Along with “Coco” being a popular movie, junior Boden Oelhafen said his familiarity with Spanish culture led him to come to the club meeting.

“I went to PSI so I am fairly familiar with Spanish, and I felt that I would fit in,” Oelhafen said.

Christiansen said movies that teach people about other cultures are important because it provides an easy way to learn.

“These movies promote understanding for a lot of people, who maybe have never had a Spanish class before so they might not know Día de los Muertos,” Christiansen said. “To have a mainstream movie that you might just go see because it’s popular, and you end up learning something is really good.”

According to Christiansen, movies like “Coco” are important because of how uncommon they have been in the past.

“Historically there have not been as many (movies like “Coco”), and so the fact that you have a movie that is mainstream, in the United States, that’s not just popular in Mexico or Spain or other Spanish-speaking countries,” Christiansen said. “I think that it’s really cool that they are becoming more common.”

Oelhafen said movies like “Coco” are significant because it helps educate people about other cultures.

“(These movies are important), so we are not blatantly ignorant about other people’s cultures. It is really easy to be offensive to others, even if you don’t mean it,” Oelhafen said. “I think (this movie) can raise awareness and educate people.”

According to Oelhafen, his favorite character in the movie is the grandmother, Abuelita.

“The grandma is my favorite. She is the one who points out the great-great-grandfather,” Oelhafen said. “She is funny in the way she acts and interacts with the other people.”

Christiansen said her favorite character in the movie is Miguel’s dog, Dante.

“I love Dante. I enjoy his character because he is super cute,” Christiansen said. “He is sort of the best friend, and he is the only one in the movie that supports his music. I think that is really sweet.”

According to Christiansen, the club is exploring opportunities for a field trip to PSI. The clubs next meeting is 3:30 p.m. March 21, in room B235.