The Book of Life
Tags: romantic, entertaining

Plot synopsis:
A bus full of children arrives at a museum. They're a rowdy bunch that frighten the guards. A young woman named Mary Beth (voice of Christina Applegate) comes out and gets the kids to follow her as she tells them about the famous legends and myths of Mexican folklore. She leads them to the Book of Life, which holds the story of how the ways of their world were shaped. She opens a box of dolls that represent the characters of the story.As the story begins, Mary Beth says there were two gods - La Muerte (voice of Kate Del Castillo), ruler of the Land of the Remembered, where the spirits live on with their memories kept by their loved ones; and Xibalba (voice of Ron Perlman), ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, where the forgotten souls decay into oblivion.The two spirits watch over the town of San Angel and see three young children playing - Manolo (voice of Emil-Bastien Bouffard), Maria (voice of Genesis Ochoa), and Joaquin (voice of Elias Garza). Both boys are in love with Maria, but she does not wish to be claimed by anyone. Manolo comes from a family of bullfighters, but his real passion lies in music. Joaquin is more adventurous, hoping to avenge his father after he was killed by the sinister bandit Chakal (voice of Dan Navarro).Disguised as peasants, La Muerte and Xibalba go down to San Angel during a celebration of the Day of the Dead. Manolo and his father, Carlos Sanchez (voice of Hector Elizondo), remember his mother Carmen. La Muerte, as an old woman, asks Manolo for a piece of bread. He gladly gives her a whole loaf. Xibalba, as an old man, asks Joaquin for some, but he is more hesitant. Xibalba gives Joaquin a pin that is called the Pin of Everlasting Life, which is something Chakal is after as it can protect him from death. Xibalba then bets La Muerte that Maria will end up marrying Joaquin, while La Muerte bets on Manolo. The winner will be allowed to rule over the Land of the Remembered. The wager is set.Maria, a free and rebellious spirit, 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 (voice of Carlos Alazraqui). A wild boar comes into town and nearly gets Posada, but Manolo manages to lure the boar like a bullfighter with the red cape. He gets the boar to crash into a wall, but Posada, who was unable to see anything, thinks it was Joaquin that saved him, ignoring Manolo in favor of him. As punishment for her actions, Posada orders Maria to be sent to a private boarding school. She sadly leaves her two friends behind. Manolo gives her the baby pig that she wanted to save, which Manolo names Chuy. Maria 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, Carlos mentors Manolo (now played by Diego Luna) into becoming a skilled bullfighter, while Joaquin (now voiced by Channing Tatum), with the help of the pin, manages to conquer many enemies and become the town hero. The day comes for Maria (now voiced by Zoe Saldana) to return home. A big celebration is held in town. Manolo and Joaquin 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 is told by Carlos to kill it, but he refuses. Everybody boos him, but Maria applauds him for his compassion. Somebody throws Manolo a guitar to his head, knocking him out. When he comes to, his father expresses his disappointment, saying he is not a real Sanchez.General Posada holds a party for Maria, where Joaquin suggests that Maria ought to be with him so that he can make her happy. This does not go over well with Maria, who tells him off and leaves. Meanwhile, Manolo gets his Mariachi band friends, the Rodriguez brothers (voices of Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, and Ricardo Sanchez), to help serenade her. The brothers play some tunes (like Biz Markie's "Just A Friend"), none of which impress Maria. Manolo serenades her with a song from his heart, which even moves all the townspeople. The brothers form a ladder to bring Manolo up to Maria's balcony so they may kiss, but she tells him it's not gonna be that easy.Joaquin proposes to Maria. Their marriage would keep San Angel safe from Chakal and his bandits. Manolo arrives and fights with Joaquin over Maria, which she thinks is foolish. Manolo later tells Maria to meet him at dawn.Fearing he will lose the wager, Xibalba turns his staff into a snake and sends it after Manolo. Maria follows a trail of candles to a tree where Manolo is. He professes his love to her, which she reciprocates. Then, the snake slithers into the area. Maria pushes Manolo out of the way, getting bitten by the snake. She dies instantly. Manolo screams in rage. He carries Maria's body back to San Angel, where both Joaquin and General Posada blame him for Maria's death.Manolo returns to the tree, mourning his love. Xibalba appears before him, and Manolo states that he will do anything to be with Maria 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, looking like a skeleton. It is a remarkably wonderful looking place where the remembered spirits roam around. The captain of the land comes by and learns he is part of the Sanchez family. He escorts Manolo to meet them. He meets his famous ancestors, including Carmelo (Jorge R. Gutierrez), who never used capes to fight; Jorge (Placido Domingo), who fought with one arm and leg, and is a skilled singer; and Luis (Danny Trejo), Manolo's grandfather who is upset with Manolo for dying so soon. Manolo is taken to meet his mother Carmen (Ana de la Reguera). She is happy to see her son, but not happy that he is there so soon.With the help of his family, Manolo goes to La Muerte's castle, which is now run by Xibalba. He explains that the snake bite only put Maria to sleep, and Joaquin revived her with the pin. She is awake and learns that Manolo is dead. Angry over being cheated, Manolo vows to tell La Muerte what Xibalba did and to return to the human world.Manolo, Carmen, and 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 where three large boulders roll around trying to crush him. Manolo evades all of them, to the surprise of the spirit guardian. The guardian takes a gigantic form and swings down a huge sword onto Manolo, which shatter upon hitting him. Realizing he is pure of heart, the guardian allows Manolo to pass on throughThe Sanchez's meet the Candle Maker (voice of Ice Cube), 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 has yet to be written, because he is writing it himself. In The Land of the Forgotten, Manolo, Carmen, and Luis see the lonely spirits decaying and withering away. They make it to Xibalba's castle to find La Muerte. Manolo tells her that Xibalba cheated, sending her into a rage. She summons him and angrily chastises 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. The wager is set.Manolo is forced to face off against every bull that his family has ever fought. In the living world, Chakal and his bandits are making their way to San Angel, just as Maria and Joaquin are about to marry. Carlos charges toward Chakal, only to be killed. His spirit joins his family to watch Manolo fight. The bulls come together to form one giant bull. Instead of fighting it, Manolo sings it a song, apologizing for all the wrongs his family has brought to the bulls. Even as the giant bull nearly kills him, he keeps singing, bringing the bulls to peace, and surprising his family. La Muerte and Xibalba, impressed by Manolo's will, grant him his life back and send him to the living world just in time to fight backThe three spirits decide, since it is the Day of the Dead, to have some fun by summoning all of Manolo's family to fight back against Chakal. Maria rounds up the whole town to fight back as well. Manolo and Joaquin make amends and decide to fight against Chakal together. Chakal grabs Maria and climbs the top of a tower. With the help of his forefathers, including a now proud Carlos, Manolo is sent up to the tower to face off Chakal. With Maria, they fight the bandit and knock him off the tower, also sending them falling as well, but they land safely. Chakal then lights up the bombs on his belt to take the whole town down with him. Manolo and Joaquin push Chakal beneath a bell and tie him up. Manolo knocks over a column to bring the bell down on him and Chakal. He tells Maria not to forget him. The bell traps them both as the bombs go off, killing Chakal, and supposedly Manolo. However, Manolo emerges safely, after Joaquin gave him the pin to stay alive. Joaquin now realizes that a true hero is selflessGeneral Posada gives Manolo his blessing to marry Maria. The two are wed, with Manolo's family proud of their boy. Manolo and Maria then sing a song and dance with everybody. Xibalba apologizes to La Muerte for betraying her, telling her he loves her. They kiss.Back at the museum, Mary Beth ends the story as the children must leave. They leave excited after hearing the story. As the bus is set to depart, the kids wave goodbye to Mary Beth, who takes the form of La Muerte, to the joy of the kids. The security guard appears as Xibalba. They kiss again. The story ends, and the Candle Maker closes the Book of Life, reminding us all to write our own stories.

Review: 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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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..
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).
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.
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.
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.
(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.
On the plus side, the kids will like the vibrant colours and the love story between Manolo and Maria but I was expecting more from this film.
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.
A visually stunning animated film with unique and captivating character designs and settings.
The Book of Life is a refreshing new animated tale about Mexican folk beliefs, especially the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), a day where families and friends gather to pray for and remember their loved ones who have died.
The plot is done with enough wit, charm, humour and sincerity that makes it an enjoyable ride.The story is mainly about three childhood friends, Manolo, Joaquin and Maria who got caught in a wager going on between the Mexican lords of the underworld, La Muerte (ruler of The Land of the Remembered) and Xibalba (ruler of The Land of the Forgotten).
For example the exaggerated physical features normally i don't like too much, but in this film they work.The world that the director created is just amazing, in every shot there is so much to see.For everyone that enjoys a good and fun story and loves animation you have to see this.
And like all love stories good, it makes you laugh, chuckle, and tear-up just enough to leave you with a warm feeling at the end of it all.The voice acting is good and the direction is crisp and the dear Del Toro was awesomely impressive and proves that he still has that pizazz that makes his movies so anticipated.A lovely animated parable that hits all the sweet spots with a couple of really soul stirring songs (one is during the end credits).And, here is one more line for IMDb to accept the review :).
The only thing I really hate is the parts with those kids at the museum, because it's so distracting and it feels like they're trying to dumb down the movie by having the guide explain things to the viewers.Overall, this is a very entertaining movie with a good message and beautiful animation.
I went and saw this movie after a really bad day and was taken away by the sheer beauty of the soundtrack, visual quality, and heart-bending story.
that would give more accuracy to the story, it was a little too American .especially the man of the candles, and the last song .beside all this it was a good film to see .no regretI saw with friends and their children we all loved, especially the adults it was very funny, I recommend to see in family at Christmas, I think Mexicans are properly glad to see their culture being shown in this way, I can not wait to get the blu-ray.
The best thing about The Book of Life is the animation, which is never less than outstanding and even spellbinding at its best, consisting of vivid warm colours, smooth imaginatively done background art and beautifully drawn character designs that look real.
Yes. It does have its overstuffed and contrived spots but it's warm-hearted, entertaining from the get go right up to the last second and you always feel like you're being immersed in all these different worlds in the film, which aside from the animation was what was the most remarkable thing about The Book of Life.
Gutierrez called The Book of Life, a film that is more of a visual film compared to it's basic story, but is nonetheless a great love letter to Mexican culture and to those who want to choose their own destiny.Right off the bat, the animation never holds back in it's creativity, from the highly vibrant colors, to Gutierrez's joyful cartoony character designs, to the Mexicana backgrounds, and some of the finest effects animation I've ever seen in computer animation to date.
But the true highlight of the visuals is the Land of the Remembered, and without giving away anything, it knocks the cultural and artistic aspect of the movie out of the ball park, though I wish we spent a little longer there....buttersauce.Admittedly, the story is kinda generic in concept, complete with several clichés you would find in modern day animated films, but the main characters are charming and likable in their own way so it makes the experience a delight.
And even at that, the execution is just beautiful, from the passionate love triangle, to the songs that elevate the main character, and even the message to do what you feel is right rather than what others say.Overall, while its story is kinda formulaic, The Book of Life redeems itself tremendously with stunning animation, charming characters, such sweet romance, and such passion and respect for Mexican culture.
'THE BOOK OF LIFE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)Critically acclaimed computer-animated movie, dealing with Mexican myths and folklore, about a young man who rebels against his family, in order to win over the woman he loves.
The film centers around Manolo's journey (the most), as he fights his way through three different worlds, to win over Maria's affection and save her.The film looks beautiful and the story and characters are a lot of fun.
it is one of best movies i have never seen, with all The effects and great story, The best thing in The movie was La Muerte, i really think that i LOVE HER because she is beautiful and perfect in all aspects, some day i want to marry with her.
I L O V E T H I S M O V I E And in other hand there is Manolo and Joaquín, they too love María and they want to marry with her, I prefer Manolo because i think that he is like me, but i like so much Joaquín because he is really funny, and María it is an awesome badass girl (but i prefer La Muerte), there is a little (Well big) and cute pig called Chuy, and it is very funny to see the things that Chuy's do, Well, my point is that i really looooveeee all of The movie the color, The characters, everything..
Perhaps reconsider making an exception.This reviewer attended Book of Life with his mother, and enjoyed it thoroughly.'Dia de los Muertos'; ever heard of it?That's Spaniard for 'Day of the Dead.'The Skeleton Twins, a dusty quirkedy released in September, touched on the same theme.BOL's tone is a bit more light-hearted.Cheech isn't the only one singing, either.Diego Luna as the voice of the protagonist, Manolo, strums and clucks a number of ballads.
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.
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.
Anyway, very good very classy and very entertaining.And FYI, all you Channing Tatum fans (especially girls or people that love his comedy), knowing that the Joaquin character plays him, you'll love this film, too.
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.
What they're about to find out is a wonderful story from the land of Mexico, full of courage, love and emotion, about two kids who compete for the heart for their friend.It's an unique animation which tells a story in another story which slowly presents three different worlds, connected in various ways, which affect the fate of a bullfighter as he tries to win his friend's affection before his best friend who seems to have the advantage.
Played in key moments of the film, it has a great gift of sending even more emotion directly to the viewer, creating a truly unique atmosphere.Overall, it's an animation which features a very good plot with great characters, transmits plenty of emotion and romance, drama but also action and simply shines in terms of visuals.
The book of life is an animated adventure about love & self-authenticity, framed in mexican's culture & costumes about their afterlife view.This movie carries exceptional quality and colours on characters clothing, sceneries, spirits; probably the best I've seen in animated movies.
"Book of Life" spins an animated fable through three worlds, ours, a fantasy world of wooden characters, and the lands of the dead, both remembered and forgotten (a great concept).
I liked It, BUT, this film (The Book of Life) I think should of been what the LEGO Movie is apart from the LEGO Movie being a big selling product with LEGOs, but this movie was unbelievable!, everything about this is just...FANNNTASTIC!.The story is sweet and well executed, the animation is oh my god..
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, it was produced by Aaron Berger, Brad Booker, Guillermo del Toro and Carina SchulzeIn the Mexican town of San Angel, Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoë Saldana) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) have been friends ever since childhood.
This animated film tells the story of two best friends fighting for the same girl, which results in an epic fight to save the city on the day of the dead.I did not know about the folklore that gave rise to "The Book of Life", but after watching it, it has certainly captivated me.
On a more specific note, the story being bookended by some delinquent kids learning about the story of Maria, Mandolo and Jaoquin alongside us was unnecessary and can be a little annoying when they interrupt something mid-scene with comments that only the young kids in the audience would find funny.The voice acting could be a bit spotty - the native Mexican actors like Diego Luna and Kate del Castillo do a fantastic job, however Zoe Saldana and Channing Tatum seem to have a lot of trouble keeping their accents straight, which can be a little distracting.The soundtrack for this movie was terrible.
Dilworth when it comes to making this film, and that is awesome.I love the animation, the characters, the humor, the acting, a lot of things in this movie are really good.I even enjoyed the song "No Matter Where You Are".
For what it's worth, as the producer of this film, Guillermo del Toro looks like he had a massive amount of influence on the visuals and textures of "The Book of Life".
Telling the tale of two friends, Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna) and Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) who fight for the heart of the beautiful Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana) and the gods, La Muerte (voiced by Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman) who bet on them; yes, this is an overused Disney-esque premise, but should still be considered tried-and-true.But issues arise as it becomes noticeable fairly quickly that "The Book of Life" is a nearly humorless film.
Still, The Book life doesn't feel like your day to day animation movies because of its interesting premise.
And for the supporting such as Ron Perlman, Kate del Castillo, and Ice Cube as well gave a delightful job.The Book of Life has the potential of a greater movie; the story and themes, even the world it sets are nearly apart from today's typical animation filmmaking.
A beautifully animated and fun film you should watch if you want to learn more about Mexican culture..
This movie does have nice morals about remembering your loved ones who passed away, fighting for what's right for the good of the people, writing your own stories, etc., but the whole "animal cruelty is bad" message feels out of place here.
This aspect, combined with all the other positive qualities this movie has serve to make it a very good animated film for the whole family.There is too much to like about "The Book of Life".
Finally, the most obvious thing about it all is the fact the film is a visual feast filled with designs that are rich in detail and extremely colorful.In the end, while I had no real expectations for it, "The Book of Life" proved to be an amazing animated film that was great to watch and extremely entertaining..