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| Joaquin (Channing Tatum), Maria (Zoe Saldana) and Manolo (Diego Luna) |
How does one describe The Book of Life? It’s Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, given the Pixar animation upgrade with a pinch of DreamWorks humor. Coincidentally the focus of both The Book of Life and Corpse Bride involve a love triangle and unexpected trip into the afterlife.
We follow childhood friends Manolo (Diego Luna), Joaquin (Channing Tatum) and Maria (Zoe Saldana). Manolo is a bullfighter-in-training with dreams of being a musician; Joaquin is a pompous but courageous soldier and hero of the town. Friends turned rivals, Manolo and Joaquin compete for the love of Maria and seek her hand in marriage, unaware they are part of a bet made by two deities of the dead. La Muerte (Kate Del Castillo) who rules the heavenly afterlife called the Land of the Remembered and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), who rules the desolate wasteland known as the Land of the Forgotten.
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| La Muerte (Kate Del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman). |
Director Jorge R. Gutierrez and producer Guillermo del Toro
(Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies) craft a gorgeous movie
and incorporates the Mexican holiday of El Dia de los Muertos, with themes of
life after death, and remembering loved ones who have passed. It’s a sight to
behold with its kaleidoscope visuals and colors along with some memorable and
funny characters, each given their moment to shine.
The look of the film called to mind Gutierrez’s short lived cartoon on Nickelodeon, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, sharing a similar animation style. Much of the cast consists of Hispanic voice work from comedians Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, action star Danny Trejo, voice actor Carlos Alazraqui and Mexican celebrity Eugenio Derbez, who Spanish speaking audiences will recognize as the voice of Donkey in the Spanish dub of Shrek. The deities steal the show especially Perlman’s Xibalba who brought a level of charisma both comedic and villainous that James Woods brought with his voice role of Hades in Disney’s Hercules and John de Lancie as Discord in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
The look of the film called to mind Gutierrez’s short lived cartoon on Nickelodeon, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, sharing a similar animation style. Much of the cast consists of Hispanic voice work from comedians Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, action star Danny Trejo, voice actor Carlos Alazraqui and Mexican celebrity Eugenio Derbez, who Spanish speaking audiences will recognize as the voice of Donkey in the Spanish dub of Shrek. The deities steal the show especially Perlman’s Xibalba who brought a level of charisma both comedic and villainous that James Woods brought with his voice role of Hades in Disney’s Hercules and John de Lancie as Discord in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
The plot is at times predictable and cliché from the trope
of the disappointed father found in Happy
Feet and How to Train Your Dragon,
a couple of childish jokes and cringe worthy dialogue but it never got to the
point where it ruined the movie. Depending on your taste of music, the movie
contains covers of popular songs that you’ll either love or hate but there are
a couple of original songs that makes the soundtrack fare better. Funny,
touching, action-packed, and epic; whether you speak Spanish or not, The Book of Life is movie one can enjoy.
Final Verdict: B
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| Theatrical Poster |
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