The Book of Life (2014 film)

Did You Know?

• Posters painted the characters' doll joints to look more human, as producers feared audiences would not empathize with wooden folk art dolls.
• The film's soundtrack was released on September 26, 2014, and the score on October 24, 2014.
• Director Jorge Gutierrez conceived the story as a trilogy, with the second film focusing on Joaquín and the third on María, but as of June 2019 there were no plans for a sequel.

Plot

A museum tour guide named Mary Beth tells a group of students in detention the story of San Angel from the Book of Life. Long ago, on the Day of the Dead, the gods La Muerte and Xibalba witness young Manolo Sánchez and Joaquín Mondragon Jr. competing for María Posada's love. They make a bet: if María marries Manolo, Xibalba will stop interfering in mortal affairs; if she marries Joaquín, the gods swap realms. Xibalba cheats by giving Joaquín his Medal of Everlasting Life, making him invincible.

María frees pigs from a butcher, causing a stampede, and her father sends her to Spain. Manolo gives her a piglet named Chuy, and she gives him a new guitar. Years later, María returns; Joaquín is a hero, and Manolo, trained as a bullfighter, refuses to kill a bull. María and Manolo confess their love, but Xibalba sends a snake that bites María once, putting her in a trance, and bites Manolo twice, killing him.

In the Land of the Remembered, Manolo learns of Xibalba's cheating. With his mother Carmen and grandfather Luis, he travels to the Cave of Souls to meet the Candle Maker, keeper of the Book of Life.

Voice cast

Diego Luna voices Manolo Sánchez, a torero who plays guitar and dreams of music. Emil-Bastien Bouffard voices young Manolo, and Joe Matthews provides his singing voice. Zoe Saldaña voices María Posada, the daughter of General Ramiro Posada and the mutual love interest of Manolo and Joaquín; Genesis Ochoa voices young María. Channing Tatum voices Joaquín Mondragon Jr., Manolo's closest friend and the town hero; Elias Garza voices young Joaquín.

Ice Cube voices the Candle Maker, who oversees mortal lives through candles and the Book of Life. Ron Perlman voices Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten. Kate del Castillo voices La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered. Christina Applegate voices Mary Beth, the museum tour guide and narrator; Tonita Castro voices La Muerte disguised as an old woman.

Héctor Elizondo voices Carlos Sánchez, Manolo's father. Ana de la Reguera voices Carmen Sánchez, Manolo's deceased mother. Danny Trejo voices Luis Sánchez, Manolo's deceased grandfather. Grey Griffin voices Grandma Anita Sánchez.

Carlos Alazraqui voices General Ramiro Posada, as well as Dali and Chuy. Plácido Domingo voices Jorge Sánchez. Jorge R. Gutierrez voices Carmelo Sánchez. Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, and Ricardo Sánchez voice the three musicians Pepe, Pancho, and Pablo Rodríguez. Dan Navarro voices Chakal, the Bandit King. Eugenio Derbez voices Chato. Anjelah Johnson voices Adelita.

Production

Jorge R. Gutierrez began developing The Book of Life fourteen years before its release, drawing ideas from his 2000 student film Carmelo. The project was originally optioned by DreamWorks Animation in 2007 but stalled due to creative differences; DreamWorks demanded the film not be set in Mexico, not feature wooden doll characters or bullfighting, and that the main character not die, and wanted it set in present-day Washington Heights. The film then moved to Reel FX, with 20th Century Fox handling distribution and Guillermo del Toro joining as producer.

Gutierrez aimed for the final animation to match the concept artwork, and he did not permit research trips to Mexico, instead having the team direct questions to him. He described the film's setting as a 'magic version of Mexico' and noted that the initial tone was much darker, saying he needed to push the envelope so that pulling back would yield something he loved.

Reception

The Book of Life grossed $50.2 million in North America and $49.8 million internationally, totaling $100 million against a $50 million budget. It opened at number three in its first weekend with $17 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 82% approval rating based on 125 reviews, with the critical consensus noting its gorgeous animation but a story lacking the same craft. Metacritic gives a weighted score of 67 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A−.