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Description
"No retreat. No surrender."

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with the story of a man who ventures into the afterlife to fulfill the expectations of his family and friends; The Book of Life.

Mary Beth, a museum tour guide, takes a group of school detention students on a secret museum tour, telling them the story of a Mexican town called San Angel from the Book of Life, which holds every story in the world.
On the Day of the Dead, La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, see children Manolo Sánchez and Joaquín Mondragon competing for the love of María Posada.
They strike a wager: if María ends up marrying Manolo, Xibalba will no longer interfere in mortal affairs, but if she marries Joaquín, La Muerte and Xibalba will swap realms.
However, Xibalba cheats by giving Joaquín his Medal of Everlasting Life, which grants the wearer invincibility.
María is sent to Spain to become a "lady" after freeing pigs destined for slaughter. Years later, when María returns to San Angel, Joaquín has become a military hero with the Medal's aid, and Manolo's father has trained him bullfighter in their family tradition, though his real dream is to be a musician.
At Manolo's first bullfight, he defeats the bull but refuses to kill it, angering Carlos and the crowd but impressing María.
That night, María is pressured by her father and San Angel's mayor, General Ramiro Posada, to marry Joaquín so he stays in San Angel and therefore protects the town from the Bandit King Chakal——but María is reluctant.
She instead professes her mutual love for Manolo before dawn, but they are interrupted when Xibalba sends his dual-headed snake staff, which bites her and sends her into a coma.
Devastated by María's apparent death, Manolo allows Xibalba to kill him, believing he will be reunited with María in death.
In the Land of the Remembered, Manolo reunites with his mother and his ancestral family. They travel to La Muerte's castle, discovering Xibalba, now the ruler of the realm, who explains the bet and smugly reveals that María didn't die because she was only bitten once and therefore survived.
However, Manolo was bitten twice and died. Furious but determined to return to María, Manolo now embarks on a journey in order to get his life back.

The story is pretty well written as even though it does suffer from being easily predictable, it does have a very well executed and engaging plot that has a balanced light/dark tone, and does manage to be very heartfelt, decently funny, and pretty action packed. And it also does a good job with it's Mexican representation and explores themes and traditions such as the Day of the Dead.
The movie does manage to have a good sense of heart and charm, which does lead to some pretty charming and heartfelt moments like Manolo's arc throughout the movie, his relationship and dedication to Maria, and a pretty touching outcome.
The movie also has a pretty decent sense of humor as even though not every joke gets a laugh like the out of place slang, a good chunk of them do hit their mark such as some of the witty banter and dialogue between the characters, the snarky remarks and comebacks, the gags and slapstick, and some of the humorous moments during the action scenes.
The action scenes are incredibly solid as they can be a lot of fun as well as a bit intense such as the opening scene in the story with Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin as kids, the massive bull fight in the Land of the Dead, and the final battle with the townspeople and the dead against Chakal and his bandits.
The animation is pretty solid as it does look very solid, and does have a nice and unique style. The characters all have pretty solid and neat designs along with some pretty fluid and lively movements, the backgrounds and settings are beautifully well crafted and have some nice details, and there are some pretty solid effects like the lighting, the magic, the fire and water, and more.
The characters may be on the more simple side, but they're all pretty likable and do have some good chemistry, dynamics, and development.
Manolo is a pretty solid and likable protagonist as while he is the standard lead who wants to gain the respect of his father, and by extension his family, there are some neat takes that are done with him to make him stand out, and he is incredibly brave, determined, and loyal to those he considers his friends, and does manage to prove himself by the end.
The supporting characters are all very likable and have some great chemistry and dynamics with each other, and a few do get some solid development like the lovely yet fierce Maria, the hot-shot with a good heart Joaquin, Manolo's stern but caring father Carlos, his very loving and supportive mother Carmen, his snarky grandfather Luis, his big and burly ancestor Carmelo, the lively and bombastic Candle Maker, the fiery yet alluring La Muerte, the mischievous but fair Xibalba, the bumbling yet helpful musician trio Pepe, Pancho, and Pablo, and many more.
Chakal is sort of a weak villain as even though he is pretty imposing and does do some major damage, he's not really in the movie long enough to be interesting or leave an impact.
The voice acting is very solid and does result in some great performances such as Diego Luna as Manolo, Zoe Saldana as Maria, Channing Tatum as Joaquin, Ice Cube as the Candle Maker, Kate del Castillo as La Muerte, Ron Perlman as Xibalba, Hector Elizondo as Carlos, ANa de la Reguera as Carmen, Danny Trejo as Luis, and many more.
The music in amazingly well composed as it really captures the movie's fantastical and heartfelt tone, and the movie uses several well known pop songs that are reworked into having a Mexican flare to them, and for most of them, they're well done and utilized.

Overall, Reel FX really outdid themselves with this movie. They started off with a major dud like "Free Birds", but redeemed themselves with this incredibly well crafted and heartfelt movie. Highly recommend.

Cast:
Diego Luna as Manolo Sánchez
Emil-Bastien Bouffard as young Manolo.
Joe Matthews as young Manolo's singing voice.
Zoe Saldana as María Posada
Genesis Ochoa as young María.
Channing Tatum as Joaquín Mondragon Jr.
Elias Garza as young Joaquín.
Ice Cube as the Candle Maker
Ron Perlman as Xibalba
Kate del Castillo as La Muerte
Christina Applegate as Mary Beth
Tonita Castro as La Muerte disguised as an old woman.
Héctor Elizondo as Carlos Sánchez
Ana de la Reguera as Carmen Sánchez
Danny Trejo as Luis Sánchez
Grey Griffin as Grandma Anita Sanchez
Carlos Alazraqui as General Ramiro Posada, Dali, Chuy
Plácido Domingo as Jorge Sánchez
Jorge R. Gutierrez as Carmelo Sánchez
Gabriel Iglesias as Pepe Rodríguez
Cheech Marin as Pancho Rodríguez
Ricardo Sánchez as Pablo Rodriguez
Dan Navarro as Chakal
Eugenio Derbez as Chato
Anjelah Johnson as Adelita,
Sandra Equihua as Scardelita
Miguel Sandoval as the Land of the Remembered Captain
Angélica María Hartman Ortiz as Sister Ana
Sandra Echeverría as Claudia
Trey Bumpass as Luka Ramirez, San Angel orphan
Kennedy "KK" Peil as Sasha
Ishan Sharma as Sanjay
Callahan Clark as Jane
Eric Bauza as Father Domingo, Cave Guardian
Aron Warner as Thomas
Troy Evans as Old Man Hemingway
Guillermo del Toro as the Land of the Remembered Captain's Wife
Brad Booker as a train conductor

Crew:
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
Written by Jorge R. Gutierrez and Doug Langdale
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Brad Booker, Aaron D. Berger, and Carina Schulze
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla

Misc.
Production companies: 20th Century Fox Animation, Reel FX Animation Studios, Chatrone
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date: October 17, 2014
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Description
"No retreat. No surrender."

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with the story of a man who ventures into the afterlife to fulfill the expectations of his family and friends; The Book of Life.

Mary Beth, a museum tour guide, takes a group of school detention students on a secret museum tour, telling them the story of a Mexican town called San Angel from the Book of Life, which holds every story in the world.
On the Day of the Dead, La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, see children Manolo Sánchez and Joaquín Mondragon competing for the love of María Posada.
They strike a wager: if María ends up marrying Manolo, Xibalba will no longer interfere in mortal affairs, but if she marries Joaquín, La Muerte and Xibalba will swap realms.
However, Xibalba cheats by giving Joaquín his Medal of Everlasting Life, which grants the wearer invincibility.
María is sent to Spain to become a "lady" after freeing pigs destined for slaughter. Years later, when María returns to San Angel, Joaquín has become a military hero with the Medal's aid, and Manolo's father has trained him bullfighter in their family tradition, though his real dream is to be a musician.
At Manolo's first bullfight, he defeats the bull but refuses to kill it, angering Carlos and the crowd but impressing María.
That night, María is pressured by her father and San Angel's mayor, General Ramiro Posada, to marry Joaquín so he stays in San Angel and therefore protects the town from the Bandit King Chakal——but María is reluctant.
She instead professes her mutual love for Manolo before dawn, but they are interrupted when Xibalba sends his dual-headed snake staff, which bites her and sends her into a coma.
Devastated by María's apparent death, Manolo allows Xibalba to kill him, believing he will be reunited with María in death.
In the Land of the Remembered, Manolo reunites with his mother and his ancestral family. They travel to La Muerte's castle, discovering Xibalba, now the ruler of the realm, who explains the bet and smugly reveals that María didn't die because she was only bitten once and therefore survived.
However, Manolo was bitten twice and died. Furious but determined to return to María, Manolo now embarks on a journey in order to get his life back.

The story is pretty well written as even though it does suffer from being easily predictable, it does have a very well executed and engaging plot that has a balanced light/dark tone, and does manage to be very heartfelt, decently funny, and pretty action packed. And it also does a good job with it's Mexican representation and explores themes and traditions such as the Day of the Dead.
The movie does manage to have a good sense of heart and charm, which does lead to some pretty charming and heartfelt moments like Manolo's arc throughout the movie, his relationship and dedication to Maria, and a pretty touching outcome.
The movie also has a pretty decent sense of humor as even though not every joke gets a laugh like the out of place slang, a good chunk of them do hit their mark such as some of the witty banter and dialogue between the characters, the snarky remarks and comebacks, the gags and slapstick, and some of the humorous moments during the action scenes.
The action scenes are incredibly solid as they can be a lot of fun as well as a bit intense such as the opening scene in the story with Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin as kids, the massive bull fight in the Land of the Dead, and the final battle with the townspeople and the dead against Chakal and his bandits.
The animation is pretty solid as it does look very solid, and does have a nice and unique style. The characters all have pretty solid and neat designs along with some pretty fluid and lively movements, the backgrounds and settings are beautifully well crafted and have some nice details, and there are some pretty solid effects like the lighting, the magic, the fire and water, and more.
The characters may be on the more simple side, but they're all pretty likable and do have some good chemistry, dynamics, and development.
Manolo is a pretty solid and likable protagonist as while he is the standard lead who wants to gain the respect of his father, and by extension his family, there are some neat takes that are done with him to make him stand out, and he is incredibly brave, determined, and loyal to those he considers his friends, and does manage to prove himself by the end.
The supporting characters are all very likable and have some great chemistry and dynamics with each other, and a few do get some solid development like the lovely yet fierce Maria, the hot-shot with a good heart Joaquin, Manolo's stern but caring father Carlos, his very loving and supportive mother Carmen, his snarky grandfather Luis, his big and burly ancestor Carmelo, the lively and bombastic Candle Maker, the fiery yet alluring La Muerte, the mischievous but fair Xibalba, the bumbling yet helpful musician trio Pepe, Pancho, and Pablo, and many more.
Chakal is sort of a weak villain as even though he is pretty imposing and does do some major damage, he's not really in the movie long enough to be interesting or leave an impact.
The voice acting is very solid and does result in some great performances such as Diego Luna as Manolo, Zoe Saldana as Maria, Channing Tatum as Joaquin, Ice Cube as the Candle Maker, Kate del Castillo as La Muerte, Ron Perlman as Xibalba, Hector Elizondo as Carlos, ANa de la Reguera as Carmen, Danny Trejo as Luis, and many more.
The music in amazingly well composed as it really captures the movie's fantastical and heartfelt tone, and the movie uses several well known pop songs that are reworked into having a Mexican flare to them, and for most of them, they're well done and utilized.

Overall, Reel FX really outdid themselves with this movie. They started off with a major dud like "Free Birds", but redeemed themselves with this incredibly well crafted and heartfelt movie. Highly recommend.

Cast:
Diego Luna as Manolo Sánchez
Emil-Bastien Bouffard as young Manolo.
Joe Matthews as young Manolo's singing voice.
Zoe Saldana as María Posada
Genesis Ochoa as young María.
Channing Tatum as Joaquín Mondragon Jr.
Elias Garza as young Joaquín.
Ice Cube as the Candle Maker
Ron Perlman as Xibalba
Kate del Castillo as La Muerte
Christina Applegate as Mary Beth
Tonita Castro as La Muerte disguised as an old woman.
Héctor Elizondo as Carlos Sánchez
Ana de la Reguera as Carmen Sánchez
Danny Trejo as Luis Sánchez
Grey Griffin as Grandma Anita Sanchez
Carlos Alazraqui as General Ramiro Posada, Dali, Chuy
Plácido Domingo as Jorge Sánchez
Jorge R. Gutierrez as Carmelo Sánchez
Gabriel Iglesias as Pepe Rodríguez
Cheech Marin as Pancho Rodríguez
Ricardo Sánchez as Pablo Rodriguez
Dan Navarro as Chakal
Eugenio Derbez as Chato
Anjelah Johnson as Adelita,
Sandra Equihua as Scardelita
Miguel Sandoval as the Land of the Remembered Captain
Angélica María Hartman Ortiz as Sister Ana
Sandra Echeverría as Claudia
Trey Bumpass as Luka Ramirez, San Angel orphan
Kennedy "KK" Peil as Sasha
Ishan Sharma as Sanjay
Callahan Clark as Jane
Eric Bauza as Father Domingo, Cave Guardian
Aron Warner as Thomas
Troy Evans as Old Man Hemingway
Guillermo del Toro as the Land of the Remembered Captain's Wife
Brad Booker as a train conductor

Crew:
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
Written by Jorge R. Gutierrez and Doug Langdale
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Brad Booker, Aaron D. Berger, and Carina Schulze
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla

Misc.
Production companies: 20th Century Fox Animation, Reel FX Animation Studios, Chatrone
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date: October 17, 2014
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes