User reviews

Musical Manolo, scrappy Joaquin and smart Maria are three close childhood pals. Maria gets sent to Europe to study. Joaquin gets seriously into training as a military officer. Manolo is discouraged by his father from his musical aspirations, forcing him instead to take up bullfighting, which is the traditional Sanchez family occupation. When Maria returns to town after several years, Joaquin and Manolo vie for her heart.

Meanwhile, the two lords of the underworld, La Muerta (mistress of the Land of the Remembered) and Xibalba (master of the Land of the Forgotten) take a bet as to who Maria will end up with. On the Day of the Dead, the deities interfere with the outcome, leading to an adventure which will bring the characters from the land of the living to the land of the dead and back.

The most striking feature of this film is the animation style. The human characters are made to look like wooden puppets. This artworks were so ingeniously crafted such that each character is distinct from each other. The three main human characters all look very good and noble. The supporting characters are rather on the ugly, distorted side in their rendition, and these may need getting used to.

The background artwork is no less spectacular. The highlight of the whole film are those scenes in the Land of the Remembered, showing it as a happy bustling and festive place. The colors were so vibrant and rich. The multi-layered designs were so intricate and meticulous in their endemically Mexican-inspired details.

Another wonderful feature of this film is the musical score, written by Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla. This musician has been awarded the Oscar two times before for films "Babel" and "Brokeback Mountain." The soundtrack also employs the most unexpected pop songs, sung Mexican style of course. Hearing a familiar song being sung makes me smile and even sing along. The sensitive singing voice of Diego Luna (as Manolo) makes songs as diverse as Radiohead's "Creep" to Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love" sound so good.

I believe this film had a lot of educational value in it for the young audience it targets. There are a lot of Latino values being tackled here about friendship and family, the status of women, the respect for the dead, etc., which are likewise universal as well, more often than not. It also introduces us, both kids and adults alike, to the vibrant Mexican culture, especially about their Day of the Dead.

The pace of the film was slow at first, but once you get into its groove, you will surely enjoy the eventful ride. My two sons with me, as well as the much younger kids in the theater with us, all seemed to enjoy the film very much as you hear a lot of gleeful laughter at the some of the shallower jokes. This was despite the rather macabre subject matter and several grotesque-looking (albeit in a comical way) characters. It also had humorous moments that only adults would chuckle at.

Aside from Diego Luna, the line-up of voice actors surprisingly included Zoe Saldana as Maria and Channing Tatum as Joaquin. I would not have guessed. Other familiar names such as Ron Perlman and Christina Applegate are also on board. The most unexpected name I saw on the list though was that of Ice Cube as the sunshiny fluffy underworld character named Candlemaker. Some well-known Latino actors like Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo and Placido Domingo voice the more mature characters, like Manolo's dad and ancestors.

Overall, "The Book of Life" is a very unique animated feature film. The basic story is based on Mexican folklore and traditions, so the animation style had the colors, designs and style of Mexico. The different look and unfamiliar references may turn off some less adventurous viewers, but really it should not. This is one very educational and very entertaining film for all ages. Writer and Director Jorge R. Gutierrez was able to successfully expand on his experience on Nickelodeon's frenetic award-winning animated series "El Tigre:The Adventures of Manny Rivera" (which he also created) and here proudly showcased his beloved Mexican roots on a much bigger platform. 8/10.

The Book of Life is a dazzling and vibrant animated film that deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. Especially when it appears that Pixar's Coco lifted quite a lot from this film. This film is fun for kids and families alike with its exuberant colors and witty dialogue.

The music was also really a highlight. They found a great mix between fun covers of existing songs and catchy original tunes. I found this to be a highly enjoyable film that carves out a nice niche in the animated film world.

Book of life is one of the most colorful and original set designs I have every seen in an animated movie, especially in that is CGI animation.

This movie toke a real surrealistic style to the character design in order to pay homage to Mexican culture.

It's a classic fairy tale being told in a story within a story manner, with a museum tour guide telling a group of kids a fairy tale of three children who lives will effect the center of the universe, aka Mexico, when Gods gamble on what type of people they would be as adults.

Although as a semi-musical, the Glee approach in mixing in original content with contemporary hits kind of lessened the originality of the flick, but as a whole the movie was quite entertaining.

Many things could have gone wrong with The Book Of Life. This boisterous, big-hearted animated film is bursting with ideas and colour, stuffed to the brim with - one suspects - pretty much every idea that struck writer-director Jorge Gutierrez's fancy. Indeed, the final film plays very much like the charming but unpolished debut of a filmmaker who can't quite believe he was lucky enough to get the attention of producer Guillermo del Toro, and has no intention of wasting the opportunity in case it never comes around again. As a result, The Book Of Life practically trembles with too many ideas and influences, but remains so earnest and inventive that it's easy to forgive its predictable, overstuffed plot.

In a small Mexican town on the Day Of The Dead, we meet the protagonists of the story: steadfast, earnest Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna), who would rather strum a guitar than fight a bull in the tradition of his forefathers; brash, adventurous Joaquin (Channing Tatum), who becomes the town hero in trying to avenge the murder of his father by bandits; and spunky, intelligent Maria (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the mayor who inevitably wins the hearts of both young men. The stakes, however, are higher than they could ever imagine: the two godly rulers of the underworld, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), have gambled dominion over each other's lands on the outcome of the love triangle.

It would be an understatement to say that there's a lot going on in The Book Of Life. The film covers everything from a mystical medal that lends invulnerability to anyone who wears it, to a tantalising love-hate relationship between the two gods, while spiced up with musical interludes galore. (It's not often that the film's hero will pause to belt out a soul-searching rendition of Radiohead's Creep, but that kind of thing happens all the time in The Book Of Life.) Mix it all up with retellings of Mexican folklore, including visits to the joyously colourful Land of the Remembered and the ghostly grey Land of the Forgotten, and the film can be a somewhat frenetic viewing experience, to say the least.

But, for all that Gutierrez packs his film full of ideas and details, he also manages to make most of it work very well. The love triangle may be trite, but there's nevertheless enough heart and humour holding Manolo, Maria and Joaquin together. Manolo's relationships with his dad Carlos (Hector Elizondo) and his departed mom Carmen (Ana de la Reguera) are coloured in with surprising depth as well. It's also wonderful to see a love triangle centred around a girl who knows her own mind - and rest assured that Maria speaks it often enough to make a real impact.

The Book Of Life also doubles as a very welcome riot of imagination and tradition. Every frame of the film is beautifully and thoughtfully designed, down to the fact that Manolo seems to have been intricately crafted out of wood. Moreover, instead of shying away from its Mexican roots to increase its global marketability, the film firmly embraces them. This gives Gutierrez room to craft some delicately dark moments in a graveyard or two, reminding everyone that those who have died can still live as long as they're remembered by the ones who loved them. And yet, the film never descends into darkness, instead tapping into the giddying energy of a fiesta - most memorably in a journey through the Land of the Remembered - complete with heady bursts of colour and music.

There's no denying that Gutierrez's film can occasionally be too much to handle. It's loud and almost cheerfully silly, tossing pop songs and Mexican folklore into a mix that sometimes doesn't work. But, at its best, The Book Of Life is like a rambunctious puppy: messy, loud and insistent, but radiating so much life and charm that it becomes quite impossible to resist.

This is a beautiful animated film. Very unique in comparison to other animated films out there. I loved that it had funny parts - for adults as well as kids - but it isn't a silly comedy. It is a gorgeous, epic folkloric tale of family, tradition and finding your own way. I laughed and cried, and my kids loved it as much as I did. My kids (ages 3.5 and 5.5) both were entranced and never got bored or scared watching this film. For families: it wasn't scary at all. I worried maybe the "skeleton" painted Day of the Dead characters may be creepy but they weren't at all. The sets and characters were all very beautiful and unique. The Land of the Remembered was especially visually stunning. I found it especially touching as a parent of young kids with numerous generations in "our village" helping raise my kids and help carry each other through life's highs and lows. I was reminded by this film of the importance of all the generations that came before us - how we are shaped by our families. How we learn from and must respect those who came before us. That was a nice message for me and my kids. But, it also shows that, while we respect, learn from and inherit gifts from our fore-bearers, we also have a responsibility to be true to ourselves, to make our own way and find our true calling. It was also touchingly romantic. It felt very genuine and warm throughout but the sweet romantic story was especially touching. You could tell a lot of love went into making this film. I hope it does well - it should on its own merit!

What we have here is a imaginative, visually stunning feast for the eyes overlayed upon a rather boiler-plate story. The Mexican imagery is lush, detailed, colorful and while that is enough for a time, it does fatigue when there is nothing compelling behind it. The music is, strangely and sadly, American pop tunes spiced up with a little accordian or guitar to remind us this is supposed to be Mexico. Why not have the characters sing some really beautiful Mexican ballads? As for that story, it's a weak re-hash of pretty much every animated and super-hero film you've seen in the last few years. Good guy must triumph against all odds and achieve the goal, in this case, winning the girl, and is thwarted along the way by the super-evil character. You could actually watch this with the sound off and just enjoy the visuals and still understand the story.

It's October and it is usually the time for Halloween themed movies. Unfortunately for us, Halloween has been reduced to cheap horrors, or repetitive thrillers that are a bit of a bore. This year has been slightly different, but this reviewer would like the studios to go back in the past and pull some more seasonal themes to entertain us. Well, someone got my vibe, because my last review is on a film that captures the festive fun that Halloween is for the young and young at heart. So sit back my friends and catch my latest review on the animated feature The Book of Life.

I'll start this review with talking about the story. The Book of Life has a fantastic tale that centers on the typical complication of a love triangle between characters Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoe Saldana), and Joaquin (Channing Tatum). Now we know the typical elements involved in this type of plot, but this film deviates from the typical and gives a little more pep around the story. From the start you get the backstory on each character, and the individual struggles they each face. Then they take these qualities and exploit them by bringing in the two masters of the underworld, who make a wager as to who will win the girl. The result of this wager, makes for an interesting romantic tale that is fun, emotional, and more realistic than half the dramas we get these days. However, the movie does not stop there, instead it ties in an adventure and blends it into all the aspects, making for a fun film. Once more, the whole tale revolves around the Mexican celebration of the day of the dead, bringing a unique take on the classic Halloween tale and providing a little education as well.

The story isn't the only thing influenced by the Mexican culture though, the artistic style of the movie is also heavily influenced. The Book of Life is sort of a modern day Nightmare Before Christmas where CGI takes the place of stop motion animation. Many of the elements are similar, with the skeletons and landscapes sharp and angular to mirror the darkness of the afterlife. However, unlike Tim Burton, this director chose to liven things up a little by veering from the dark colors and adding wide splashes of colorful. This is not only to catch your eyes, but also to mirror the celebration that Day of the Dead is about and that life doesn't end as long as you are remembered. In the Underworld especially the color comes out, and the festivities are brought to full fold in the magical realm of the dead. Deep in the land of the Forgotten, the oblivion of elimination is presented by a frozen cavern where hope is nonexistent. Regardless, the worlds are diverse and fun, filled with ancient Central American influences that were a welcomed change. Even the characters have pizazz to them, each main character standing out in their own unique way. I in particular liked the Queen of the underworld, impressed with the blend of partying, happy, and death all wrapped into one package. The ruler of the Forgotten Land, was also of unique design, sharp, dark edges in shades of purple, neon green, and crimson to portray the darkness of his soul.

What else makes this movie fun? The next aspect is the comedy, which for the most part is well timed and well delivered. There isn't much unique writing or witty humor in this movie, but more in how it is delivered. Countless puns are shouted in ridiculous voices, often followed by a character face planting into an object. What's even better is that the comedy is also diverse and spread out instead of following the typical style of beating a joke to death, the exception being Joaquin's obsession with mustaches. In addition to the comedy, the music also brings some thing to the film. Most of the numbers are covers of famous songs, some done horribly to be funny and others that are very relevant to the plot. A couple of the original numbers made my emotions go on a ride, as happiness, sadness, and even love all came together in the instruments and voice. Now most won't find it as powerful as Frozen, but for this reviewer it was nice having the music around the movie, not the opposite way around. Aside from the singing, the voice acting is incredible, each of the cast capturing the essence of the stereotypical Mexican character. Now there are too many to write about so let me pick my three favorites. First is Christina Applegate, the girl has got sass, spunk, and compassion all at work in her tour guide character. The girls sells the story as she uses the wooden puppets, which are represented in the character design, to craft the tale, keeping the kids in line, and yet showing empathy. Then there was Zoe Saldana who has the feisty Mexican girl zest that shows everyone girls don't need men to save them. Her voice is suave and full of passion, and exactly the buffer needed amidst the rowdy, rough voices of the cast. Finally the Queen of the Dead was my favorite character, and Kate del Castillo does a nice job bringing the character to life with flare, kindness, and the ability to hold her own.

What can you take away from my sporadic rambling? The Book of Life is one of the better animated films I've seen in a while. It's Halloween fun, with colorful worlds and characters that balance out the predictable and limited tale. I strongly recommend seeing this movie in theaters, possibly in 3-D. I haven't had this much fun at the movies in quite some time, and I believe most will enjoy the adventure at hand. My scores for this film are:

Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 9.5 Movie Overall: 9.0

Mexico's famous annual festivities marking "The Day of the Dead" is a time for reflection and remembrance. It's colourful, bright and visually striking, so much so that the rest of the globe now know of this major phenomenon. It was only a matter of time before the holiday was to be the subject of children's animations. Fortunately, we are presented with a good attempt. A small class of children are taught a fable that involves two brave heroes fighting for the heart of a damsel. Filled with Mexican traditions, music and young romance, it's a story that teaches people to follow their heart. Y'know, true love succeeds and what not. It's a perfectly fine children's animation that clearly appeals to younger audiences. The more mature viewers may find that the blatant storytelling issues will hold them back from fully enjoying this. The stand out is the animation. Absolutely stunning. The wooden effect to both the characters and architecture enhanced the playful feel of the story. The mythology of the festival was brought to life in full aesthetic appeal. The "Land of the Remembered" exhumed blossoming colours that invaded all of the senses. The musicality of the narrative evoked endearment towards one of the protagonists who uses his musical talent to win the heart of the girl of his dreams. One particular scene, involving a giant bull constructed of bones, was extremely touching and had me gripped. Unfortunately, that was the only time I was enthralled. Sure it's completely watchable, but it never exceeds expectations. It was a predictable ball of confusion. The first act was so frenetic, consistently jumping between scenes like a bunny rabbit on speed. Jump jump jump! Music, bull fighting, exposition, Maria, badge of invincibility...just slow down! I needed to get a notebook out! Also the voice casting choices were questionable, particularly Channing Tatum which took me out of the film occasionally. A beautiful animation that couldn't overcome narrative stumbles.

First lets; clarify; I am not Mexican nor any in my family and friend group; however it has been a long long time since we catch kids movie able to captivate 5,6,7 or 8 year old girls and boy and the parents that took them. Just the quality, colors and artistry of the images; makes the movie worth; but the subject matter is even more impressive. How many times you were able to really laugh on a subject matter like death and make children (and adults) happy with an adventure that is pure entertainment but also gives a quite poetic look at life and dead. In brief; take your children to see it as an excuse; you probably will enjoy it even more. Forget PIXAR formula products; this is just a masterpiece

The Book of Life made some interesting style choices for their character designs, being like wood block figures of the tale. However, it didn't have anywhere near the emotional depth of Coco, the other animated film about the Mexican Day of the Dead, and unfortunately, the pacing of the story and the humor was similar to the Madagascar and Hotel Transylvania movies, and I hate that frantic and frenetic style. That hyper bombastc approach is hard for adults to like, though some still do, don't know why. Films like this need to take a chill pill, relax a little bit, let their story and humor breathe a little bit. So that, in comparison, the pacing of Coco is more like a fine wine.

I really wanted to love this. The design and texturing of every character, scene and prop is absolutely gorgeous. In that aspect they really recreated Day of the Dead culture beautifully. The gags are sometimes funny, sometimes silly ... I can accept that in a movie made primarily of kids. The story is OK for the most part.

Where it really fell short for me was the soundtrack. There would suddenly be a pop song that totally takes you out of this entire cultural world they put so much effort into creating, to the degree that it's laughable. Not even a Mexican pop song, but some blatant American or English pop that either came across cheesy or completely ridiculous. Whoever chose to put Elvis or Radiohead in this film totally ruined it for me. There is certainly more appropriate Mexican music to support the mood of the film. Why recreate the look of an entire cultural event only to throw in something musically that so completely doesn't fit in the context of the mood, story or film? I don't get it

The Book of Life is creative and breathtaking. The animation is fun and colorful. They are very festive and you can tell that the animators pay close attention to detail. The story draws you in by adding laughs here and there, music, and love. People from around the world get to see what Day of the Dead is really like for Mexicans and you actually get to enjoy it. The actors/actresses are perfect for their roles and bring life to the story. The scenes are very thought out and interesting. You just can't help but want to see what could happen next.

Much of what people hear about Mexico is negative. When the country appears on CNN, they tell of a drug lord who is trying to make his way into the States with his product or that the children need donations of water and clothes. They treat this as if Mexico was a third world country, even though I see nothing more then a country that's more disorganized than dangerous. What most people seem to forget is that Mexico is land where it's history and culture is filled with riches of artistic merit that has become more present in our American culture.

The Mexican day of the dead is one of their most important holidays as its traditions encourage celebration rather then fear. The scary masks and skeletons wish that we need to remember the people that we've lost as our memories of them are their fuel to live in the afterlife. Treating death as a party sounds like an offensive idea, but I find it rather southing, not to mention feeling a bit cultured as I've been taught something unique about the customs from the south of the border. Producer Guillermo Del Toro bring us the day of the dead in the animated format of The Book of Life.

In the real world, a bunch of delinquent children are brought to a museum where a tour guide Mary Beth (played by Christina Applegate) takes them to a special room where the title book of life is and proceeds to tell a story from it, using wooden figures that come to life within the tale.

In the Mexican town of San Angel, two gods, La Muerte (played by Kate del Castillo) the ruler of the land of the remembered and Xibala (played by Ron Perlman) the ruler of the land of the forgotten, wager upon two boys that have fallen in love with the same girl is set to determine whether good triumphs evil.

Over the years, Manolo (played by Diego Luna) has been training to be a bullfighter even though he would rather be a musician. His friend Joaquín (played by Channing Tatum) has become a courageous solider that the town loves (though he's cheated by wearing a magical medal that protects him from death). They both have their hearts set on the adult María (played by Zoe Saldana). Sensing that Manolo has a better chance of winning, Xibala tricks him into getting bitten by a two headed snake. This sends Manolo into the land of the remembered where his ancestors help him find a way back into living.

The Book of Life has an amazing design. I went to a 3D screening of this and was blown away by how beautiful and imaginative this was. It was a great idea to have wooden figurines as the focus as the regular human designs are the only thing bland and fake looking. Human skin seems to be the most difficult thing to computer animate and Book of Life was smart to take another route. The art is to die for, but how's the content?

Substance was clearly not the focus as I got a bland love story along with a bland hero, bland charmer, bland girl, bland gods, and even bland animal sidekicks. You would think that having a passionate creative mind like Guillermo Del Toro would warrant something with a lot more texture. Oh well, for what it is, the winner here is the animation and look. The day of the dead stuff is even educational and I wouldn't object a child watching this.

I'll give this six dead mariachi groups out of ten. It'll probably make for a nice time killer and I might pick up an art of The Book of Life book for my coffee table.

THE BOOK OF LIFE is produced by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Jorge Gutierrez, and features an outstanding voice cast to tell its story of true love (along with a generous helping of Mexican culture). The basic plot is about two boys, Joaquin (Diego Luna) and Manolo (Channing Tatum), who vie for the affections of a girl, Maria (Zoe Saldana). As people they're fairly opposite, with Manolo being a musician at heart (his family's profession is bullfighter) and Joaquin being a soldier who does great deeds of derring-do. Unbeknownst to them, however, Lady Muerte and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) have entered into a wager about which of them can win the heart of Maria and it sets Manolo on a journey that will take him to both realms of the dead. First, I should say that the character design, animation and overall look of the film was extremely creative and visually unique, befitting a Guillermo del Toro production. The colors popped and everything in the world of the film was brought to vibrant life. The voice cast was equally impressive, although there were a couple of people who took me out of it for a little bit before getting sucked back into the story. The biggest offender was probably Ice Cube, who voices the Candlemaker, although they did stick in a couple of good jokes and references for him. I also got taken a little bit out of the story by realizing that Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin also voiced characters in the film, but again, they still did great work here. Another high point was the music. The score was pretty good, but what really stood out was the use of modern pop songs in what is (mostly) a period piece set at an indeterminate time in the past. Of course, I didn't mind that one bit at all. I also thought that the first half to two-thirds of the story were excellent. It succeeded telling an emotionally moving story with plenty of interesting characters, but at a certain point it resorted to the standard climax and resolution that wrapped up everything with a nice little bow. And despite much of the humor working, at times I felt it was a little too silly for its own good. Still, at the end I was completely won over. Had I seen this last year, I'm fairly certain it would have made my top ten. As it stands, this was an incredibly charming and visually rich film that should appeal to kids and adults alike, and also serves as a valuable cultural lesson.

The Book of Life showcases a really different style of animation and the characters are very well designed. But thats where the good ends, the plot is very generic, dialogs are poorly written, the songs feel more like bad pop songs than authentic mexican music. Nothing really for adults to enjoy, kids will love all the colors I guess.

The Book of Life is an interesting movie because it part incredibly generic and part insanely unique and original. Fortunately, the unique and original outshines the generic, but it can still be troublesome at times.

The Book of Life is literally a love triangle movie. From the very beginning of the movie it clearly states: This a movie about two boys who love the same girl. The nice thing about this is that the movie doesn't hide its premise at all. It isn't a movie that simply has a love triangle in it, it is a movie about the love triangle.

That being said, the movie's love triangle isn't gosh awful, but it is kind of annoying. Either the character's are overly obsessive or the girl is kind of a jerk for taking advantage of the obvious love triangle. However, the character's themselves aren't bad and are pretty good.

The plot to The Book of Life isn't a bad plot, and it has some very unique elements but it isn't a very deep or complex plot. The thing about this movie is that it doesn't need to be complex. Its main purpose is to be highly entertaining, cute, and very very beautiful. And at that... it succeeds. The wonderful thing about this movie is that it proved something that all animation fans have been waiting for for years: A CGI movie can look as beautiful as its concept art and the transition from sketches to 3D can look flawless. A lot of 3D animated films will lose elements of their original art and vision. They will have the general feel, but they usually lose something. But when you look at this movie's concept art and the final product you can tell that nothing was lost (if anything, the movie looks more beautiful and energetic than the concept art).

This movie is simply stunning to look at and everything in it has a lot of energy. What is even more interesting about this movie's animation is that is proves that you don't need insane amounts of detail to make a beautiful 3D movie. A lot of 3D animated movies make beauty through complexity (and The Book of Life is complex) but it knows that the control of color, lighting, and atmosphere is what really makes something beautiful.

If there is one other major issue with the movie it is that its pacing is really really fast and sometimes emotional scenes pop out of nowhere or scenes that are supposed to be important only last a few seconds. It feels like some of the less important scenes should've been shorter and the more important scenes should've been longer.

Overall, The Book of Life was an enjoyable movie that had amazing animation. A lot of its design choices and characters are insanely creative and just stunning. Unfortunately, it suffers from some pacing issues and some clichés, but it is entertaining, nonetheless.

24 October 2014 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester This Morning - The Book of Life. An unusual animation from the stable of Jorge R Gutierrez. Joaquin, Maria and Manolo are best friends who are torn apart when Maria is sent to Europe to calm her wild ways. The two boys are both in love with her and when she returns, they compete for her affections unaware their lives are being controlled by the two Lords of the Underworlds, who have set a wager on the outcome of their love triangle. La Muerta is the mistress of the beautiful and vibrant Land of The Remembered, whilst Xibalba is the discontented ruler of the Land of The Forgotten. The characters were portrayed as wooden puppet style people, yet when they entered the Land of The Remembered they became exquisitely carved skeletons. The animation was amazing. Apart from all the characters in in three lands I found myself avidly watching the backgrounds. The colours were so vibrant and the details were so beautifully worked. This film was set around the Mexican Day of The Dead and the whole feel of it came across as one glorious fiesta. Another animation triumph and a spectacular musical score to match.

This movie was absolutely stunning and for many reasons - from the characters, to the designs in their clothing, the different lands, the gods, everything was just so pleasing to look at.

I felt that the character development was immaculate. As I was watching, I had become very attached to each character and it was so easy to be fully immersed in the story. You went through all the emotions and feelings with the cast, and the voice acting was just so very believable.

Diego Luna's singing was captivating as you didn't have to question if his emotion was real. The music itself was gorgeous and deserves so much recognition, I especially enjoyed the mariachi renditions, I found them fun and catchy, some even better than the originals. There is a modern mix of songs but I have to say it was complimentary to the plot and was what I would consider a little something for the adults in the audience.

The story was something you would think Walt Disney himself would have given a thumbs up for. The plot and overall story telling was phenomenal. There was something for everyone - romance, comedy, heart warming moments, and action as well as adventure all nestled into a positive message you can take away from it.

In summation, this movie deserves many awards as it embodies the whole package. It was outstandingly well made and thought out, and the casting was wonderful. I hope that it receives all the recognition it deserves. I recommend this film to everyone and I will most definitely be picking up my copy when it is released. I feel as though this movie far surpasses any of the most recent Disney films, with Beauty and the Beast being the only contender. I rate this movie 10/10

I really liked this! I thought the animation lend itself amazingly to the story being told, and there's a truly tremendous amount of heart in this picture. It seems like it was really made by someone very passionate about it, and as a result, it's so easy to like. Of course, also because it's very quite good. Maybe I do wish it had gone further with its storyline, as it is, it does seem like it caters too much for kids and this being told for older kids might've really made it even more special. As it is though, super enjoyable, some great characters, a lot of fun. This is highly recommended for the whole family, certainly at least original.

If only the plot of The Book of Life were as creative as the animation. Even though this movie is based on old folklore from Mexico, it feels like the same old story from Hollywood. Also, even though it purports to honor ancient traditions, this movie repeatedly belittles those same traditions. The Book of Life is an example of unfulfilled potential.