The Book of Life

The Book of Life is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated adventure musical comedy film produced by Reel FX Creative Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Co-written and directed by Jorge Gutierrez, the film stars the voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, and Channing Tatum with supporting roles by Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, and Kate del Castillo. The film was theatrically released on October 17, 2014.

a sequel is set to be released in 2015.

Plot
A bus full of children arrives at a museum, where they are taken on a secret tour by a guide named Mary Beth, who tells them about the famous legends and myths of Mexican folklore. After charming her way past an old security guard, she leads them to a hidden room, containing the Book of Life, which holds the story of how the ways of their world were shaped. She shows them one of the stories, opening a box containing dolls that represent the characters in the tale.

The story focuses on the Mexican town of San Angel, and on two gods, La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, where the spirits live on with their memories kept by their loved ones; and Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, where the forgotten souls decay into oblivion. During the Day of the Dead festival, the two spot three young children playing - Manolo and Joaquín, who are both in love with the same, free-spirited girl, María. Manolo comes from a family of bullfighters, but his real passion lies in music. Joaquín is more adventurous, hoping to avenge his father, a soldier who was killed by the sinister bandit Chakal.

Disguised as peasants, the two go down into the celebration. La Muerte, as an old woman, comes to Manolo and his father, Carlos, who are at the grave of Manolo's mother, Carmen, and is given a loaf of bred by Manolo. Xibalba, as an old man, asks Joaquín for some bread, but he is more hesitant. Xibalba trades the bread for a mystical medal that will make Joaquín invulnerable to harm. Xibalba then bets La Muerte that María will end up marrying Joaquín, while La Muerte bets on Manolo. The winner will be allowed to rule over the Land of the Remembered.

María later sets free a group of animals into the town after seeing a cute baby pig and fearing that he would be killed by the butcher, to the chagrin of her father General Posada. A wild boar comes into town and nearly gets Posada, but Manolo manages to lure the boar like a bullfighter and cause it to crash, but Posada believes it was Joaquín that saved him, ignoring Manolo in favor of him. As punishment for her actions, Posada orders María to be sent to a private boarding school. Manolo gives her the baby pig that she wanted to save, which Manolo names Chuy. María gives him a guitar after his old one is broken. On it is an engraving that says "Always play from your heart."

Over the years, Manolo is trained by his father into becoming a skilled bullfighter, while Joaquín, with the help of the of the magic medal, manages to conquer many enemies and become the town hero. On the day of María's return, a celebration is held in town. Manolo and Joaquín see her and are captivated by her beauty. Manolo is set to fight a bull, but he has qualms over killing it. Although he is able to make it crash into the wall, he refuses to kill it, causing the audience to boo him, but María applauds him for his compassion.

During a party for María, Joaquín suggests that María ought to be with him so that he can make her happy, causing María to be angry and leave. Meanwhile, Manolo gets his Mariachi band friends, the Rodriguez brothers to help serenade her, but when it doesn't go over well, Manolo serenades her with a song from his heart, which even moves all the townspeople. Joaquín later proposes to María, saying that their marriage would keep Joaquín in San Angel, and make it safe from Chakal and his bandits. Manolo arrives and fights with Joaquín over María, then later tells María to meet him at dawn.

Fearing he will lose the wager, Xibalba turns his staff into a snake and sends it after Manolo. María follows a trail of candles to a tree outside town where Manolo professes his love to her, which she reciprocates. Then, the snake slithers into the area. María pushes Manolo out of the way, getting bitten by the snake, dying instantly. Manolo carries María's body back to San Angel, where both Joaquín and General Posada blame him for María's death. While mourning María, Xibalba appears before him, and Manolo states that he will do anything to be with María again. Xibalba uses his staff to form a two-headed snake, which bites Manolo and kills him.

Manolo's spirit goes down to the Land of the Remembered, where he meets his ancestors, including his mother. With the help of his family, Manolo goes to La Muerte's castle, which is now run by Xibalba, due to Manolo dying. He explains that the snake bite only put María to sleep, and Joaquín revived her with the pin. Manolo vows to expose Xialba's treachery and return to the land of the living.

Manolo, along with Carmen, and his grandfather, Luis are told to travel to the Cave of Souls to make it to the Land of the Forgotten and meet with La Muerte. There, Manolo is thrown into a labyrinth, which he manages to get through. The cave guardian takes a gigantic form and swings down a huge sword onto Manolo, which shatters upon hitting him, due to his pure heart, causing the guardian to allow them entry.

In the cave, they meet the Candle Maker, who oversees the lives of everybody in the living world. Manolo convinces him to take him through to the Land of the Forgotten to meet La Muerte. The Candle Maker agrees after seeing that Manolo's story in the Book of Life has yet to be written, because he is writing it himself. Making it to La Muerte, she grows angry when informed of Xibalba's cheating, angrily chastising him for betraying her again. Manolo then offers a wager himself. If he wins, Xibalba must let him return to the human world, and La Muerte adds that he may never interfere with the affairs of the living ever again. Otherwise, Xibalba may rule over both realms.

In the living world, the bandit Chakal and his army are making their way to San Angel, after hearing that Joaquín has the mystic medal, which formerly belonged to Chakal. As they approach the town, Carlos tries to hold them off, only to be killed. His spirit joins the family as they watch Manolo's challenge, where he must face off against every bull that his family has ever fought, forming into one giant bull. However, instead of killing it, Manolo sings it a song, apologizing for all the wrongs his family has brought to the bulls, causing it to dissolve away, now at peace. La Muerte, the Candle Maker, and Xibalba, impressed by Manolo, grant him his life back and send him to the living world just in time to fight back.

María manages to rally the town to fight back, and the three gods also decide to aid Manolo by summoning his family's spirits to fight back against Chakal. Manolo and Joaquín make amends and decide to fight against Chakal together. During the fight, Chakal grabs María and climbs the top of a tower. With the help of his family, including a now proud Carlos, Manolo is sent up to the tower to face off Chakal. With María, they fight the bandit and knock him off the tower. Chakal then lights up the bombs on his belt to take the whole town down with him. Manolo and Joaquín push Chakal beneath a bell and tie him up. However, Manolo pushes Joaquín out of the way as he knocks over a column, causing the bell to fall on him and Chakal, seemingly kiling them both. However, Manolo emerges safely, as Joaquín had secretly given him the magic medal.

General Posada gives Manolo his blessing to marry María. The two are wed, with Manolo's family proud of their boy. Xibalba apologizes to La Muerte for betraying her, telling her he loves her. Back at the museum, Mary Beth ends the story. The chidren leave excited after hearing the story. As the bus is set to depart, the kids wave goodbye to Mary Beth, who reveals herself to be La Muerte, to the joy of the kids. The security guard reveals himself to be Xibalba. They kiss as the story ends, and the Candle Maker closes the Book of Life, reminding us all to write our own stories.

Cast

 * Diego Luna as Manolo
 * Zoe Saldana as María, Manolo and Joaquín's love interest
 * Channing Tatum as Joaquín
 * Christina Applegate as Mary Beth, a museum tour guide
 * Ice Cube as The Candle Maker
 * Ron Perlman as Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten
 * Kate del Castillo as La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered
 * Cheech Marin as Pancho Rodríguez
 * Héctor Elizondo as Carlos Sánchez, Manolo's deceased father
 * Plácido Domingo as Skeleton Jorge, Manolo's deceased great-grandfather
 * Ana de la Reguera as Carmen Sánchez, Manolo's deceased mother
 * Eugenio Derbez as Chato
 * Gabriel Iglesias as Pepe Rodríguez
 * Ricardo Sánchez
 * Danny Trejo as Skeleton Luis
 * Dan Navarro as Chakal

Production
The Book of Life was originally optioned by DreamWorks Animation in 2007, but never went beyond development because of "creative differences".

On February 21, 2012, Reel FX announced Guillermo del Toro would produce the film, originally titled Day of the Dead. On December 12, 2012, it was announced that the film would be released on October 10, 2014, and that 20th Century Fox would distribute the film. On October 15, 2013, it was announced that the film would be pushed back from October 3, 2014, to October 17, 2014. On October 16, 2013, it was announced that Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna and Christina Applegate would be starring in the film.

In February 2014, the film's director Jorge Gutierrez explained that he wanted the film to look exactly like the concept art in "The Art of" books, saying: "I saw every single one that comes out and my biggest heartbreak is that I see all this glorious art, and then the movie doesn't look like that! The mandate of this movie was: Our 'Art of' book is going to look exactly like the movie. And every artist poured their heart and soul into that idea."

Release
The film premiered in Los Angeles on October 12, 2014. The film was released on October 17, 2014.

Music
In April 2013, it was announced Gustavo Santaolalla and Paul Williams would be writing songs for the film. The soundtrack was released on September 26, 2014, on iTunes, and is scheduled to be released on CD on October 27, 2014, by Sony Masterworks.

Box office
The Book of Life was released on October 17, 2014 in North America. The film earned $300,000 from Thursday late night showings from 2,150 theatres.

Critical reception
The Book of Life has received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 79%, based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's consensus reads "The Book of Life's gorgeous animation is a treat, but it's a pity that its story lacks the same level of craft and detail that its thrilling visuals provide." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Geoff Berkshire of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "Repping a major step forward for Dallas-based Reel FX Animation Studios (after their anemic feature bow on last year’s Free Birds), the beautifully rendered CG animation brings an unusually warm and heartfelt quality to the high-tech medium and emerges as the film’s true calling card." Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying "The Book of Life is a visually stunning effort that makes up for its formulaic storyline with an enchanting atmosphere that sweeps you into its fantastical world, or in this case, three worlds." Simon Abrams of The Village Voice gave the film a negative review, saying "The Book of Life's hackneyed stock plot preaches tolerance while lamely reinforcing the status quo." Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A-, saying "Overflowing with hyperactive charm and a spectacular sea of colors, it showcases some of the most breathtaking animation we've seen this decade." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "The dizzying, intricate imagery is so beautiful, and the Latin-inspired songs catchy enough that the overall effect is often enchanting." Sara Stewart of The New York Post gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Just in time for Mexico’s Day of the Dead holiday comes this gloriously colorful animated musical, which almost (but not quite) makes up in visuals what it lacks in snappy dialogue." Katie Rife of The A.V. Club gave the film a B-, saying "Ultimately, what drags The Book Of Life down is its insistence on trying to update an (original) folkloric story for a contemporary audience. In practice, this means adding some pop-cultural touches that only serve to take the viewer out of the fantastic setting."

Michael Ordoña of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The vibrant animated feature The Book of Life is a cheeky celebration of Mexican folklore with a solid cast, an irreverent sensibility and gorgeous visuals." Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The Book of Life may use state-of-the-art animation, but it derives its strength from the wisdom of antiquity. It only looks new, but it's as old as life (and death) itself. Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film four out of five stars, saying "A visually stunning, funny movie that trusts children to deal with subject matter that many films don't: specifically, death." Frank Lovece of Newsday gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Funny without being frantic, seamlessly switching from dry humor to slapstick, it shows death as a part of life -- and, judging from a preview audience of very young tykes, does so in a gentle, delightful way." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying "This often beautiful and too-often moribund, if exhaustingly frenetic, feature tends to be less energetic than the dead people waltzing through it." Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying "The Book of Life juxtaposes overwrought visual imagery with an undernourished, familiar story - regrettable flaws in one of the few animated films to focus on Latino characters and the rich heritage of Mexican folk culture." Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "Visually arresting but dramatically rote, The Book of Life at least introduces American kids to the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos and should score points with families looking for kid-friendly movies that reflect aspects of their Mexican cultural heritage."

Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "The Book of Life is a flawed but intriguing new chapter in animation." James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three out of five stars, saying "The Book of Life moves breezily from one scene to the next, keeping the pace brisk and rarely skipping a beat." Laura Emerick of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Whether en ingles o en espanol, The Book of Life is a delight. In an animated universe cluttered with kung-fu pandas, ice princesses and video-game heroes, Gutierrez and del Toro have conjured up an original vision." Tasha Robinson of The Dissolve gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "It’s all flawed, and distracted, and conceptually messy, prioritizing color over common sense and energy over consistency. But as an afternoon’s diversion for a handful of misbehaving kids—both within the movie, and within the movie theater—it’s authentically winning." Michael Ordona of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a positive review, saying "There are no great surprises, no shocking reveals (except to the characters themselves). But there’s so much to appreciate along the way that it’s a real page-turner." Kenji Fujishima of Slant Magazine gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Jorge R. Gutierrez subsumes the film's darker themes in a relentlessly busy farrago of predictable kids'-movie tropes and annoying attempts at hipness." Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader gave the film a negative review, saying "This Pixar knockoff from 20th Century Fox is more imaginative than most, though like far too many of them, it's undone by a surfeit of glib one-liners and pop culture references."