Writer: Erny Suzira

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Watch this if you liked: “The Boxtrolls”, “The Croods” and “Shrek”

The Good, the Bad and the Day of the Dead:

A beautiful animated story about Mexican myths, folklore and Gods with an ample amount of contemporary mix and humour. "Book of Life" is the feature debut of Mexican animator, Jorge Gutierrez who is widely known for his Annie and Emmy award winning animated television series, "El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera". Produced by renowned Mexican film director, Guilermo del Toro, the film delivers stunning visual effects for a CG animation and colourful Mexican art which glues viewers' eyes to the screen. The film also brings out some recognisable hit songs and a few original songs. Based on a Mexican holiday called Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the story focuses on two childhood friends, Manolo and Joaquin, who fight over another childhood friend named Maria while two Mexican Gods, La Muerte and Xibalba make a wager on which one of the boys will grow up and win the hand of Maria. At the same time, Manolo must decide between fulfilling his duty to his family and following his own heart and dreams as he travels into three fantasy realms. This romantic musical comedy film is truly inspirational and artistic as it teaches viewers to always remember those who have passed on and at the same time never stop moving towards the future.

Look Out For:

The vibrant and striking scenery at the Land of the Remembered which is filled with colourful balloons and vivid images of Mexican architecture and old buildings.

Trivia:

The logo of 20th Century Fox in the opening credits is styled in a Mexican Day of the Dead variant using a different font and a skull replacing the '0' in "20th".

Best Watched With:

The whole family or also your lover and friends for this family-oriented film.


Cinema Online, 14 October 2014