Newcomer animation studio Real FX had possibly one of the worst starts in their filmography when they released the widely panned and disliked movie titled “Free Birds”. Despite making its money back at the box office, Free Birds was hated by the public and with its absurd plot and unlikable charcters. You’d think that would be the end of the Texas-based animation studio, but surprisingly they had a few more tricks up their sleeve as they had another movie in the works that was centered around Mexican traditions and directed by Jorge R. Gutiérrez who was the creator of the short-lived Nickelodeon cartoon “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera”. With a new talent at the helm and legendary Mexican director Guillermo del Toro as the producer, is it possible that this new film called The Book of Life can make up for the disappointment of the studio’s last movie?
The story is told by a tour guide named Mary Beth (Christina Applegate) who is showing the kids from the school detention about a secret area of a museum that houses a book of many stories called the book of life. Mary tells one of the stories from the book about how two rulers of the land of the dead named La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Rob Perlman) place a wager on a group of friends named Manolo and Joaquin as they playfully fight for the heart of a girl named Maria. La Merta bets on Manolo to marry Maria while Xibalba bets on Joaquin as he secretly gives him the metal of everlasting life granting him strength and immunity. The kids grow up as Manolo (Diego Luna) becomes a bullfighter and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) becomes the town hero. However, Manolo would rather play music despite his family’s wishes and wants to have Maria (Zoe Saldana) to be his love even with Joaquin putting the moves on her. His journey to have Maria love her ends him up in the land of the remembered where he meets his ancestors and loved ones that came before him
Usually, I’m not a huge fan of love triangle-like plots, but the movie thankfully finds that balance of making every character likable to an extent without villainizing anybody to the point of being unlikable. The romantic element is well handled and there are many beautiful moments that make the story more than just cartoonish antics. Speaking of which, the movie treats itself as one big cartoonish adventure with many obstacles and plenty of jokes. Luckily it finds the right balance of being fun and being serious and it never loses track of what the heart of the story is about. It’s also very unique to have a movie centered around Mexican traditions and folklore such as the concept of the day of the dead. While I do find there are other movies that pay more respect to similar traditions, it still is nice to see a movie that introduces the audience to different cultures. One thing the story could have maybe improved upon is the side story about Manolo trying to please his father while following his dreams of being a musician, it goes by very fast and sometimes I forgot that it was even a part of the movie’s story.
The characters in the story have buttloads of charm compared to the immensely unlikable characters in Free Birds. Manolo and Joaquin are well established and although they come from different walks of life, I can still feel their bond and the history they had together since childhood. While the end result of who gets Maria in the end is admittedly predictable, the ending still feels satisfying and I like how everything is tied together nicely. While Maria does carry the typical strong women stereotypes, Actress Zoe Saldana still gives a good and likable performance as she is still made to be more than someone who can be won over by a man so easily. The standout charcters for me though are the two rulers of the different parts of the land of the dead named La Muerte and Xibalba. Their relationship is so admirable and fun whenever they are on-screen together. Their constant romantic rebuttals and subtle hints at a past relationship are just so much fun to watch in action. The only character I felt could have been better is the Candlemaker played by Ice Cube. It’s not that he’s a bad character, but his personality is trying to emulate the modern slang talk of the Genie from Aladdin but it’s more annoying than it is charming. Still, he doesn’t ruin the whole movie, but the movie would have benefited to give the candlemaker more sincerity and likability.
One of the standouts this movie has to offer is the style of the animation. It makes sense that the animation is so unique and stylized because the movie emulates a similar style from “El Tigre” which is a show that director Jorge R. Gutiérrez did work on. The character designs are super creative as the ones in the actual book of life story look like stylish wooden toys with over-exaggerated features such as big noses or largemouths while the characters in the supposed “present-day world” have more smooth and simple features. The two-character designs of La Muerte and Xibalba have so much detail and personality and their color scheme and movements steal the show in every scene that their in, though is it just me, or does Xibalba look like a mix between Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Discord from My Little Pony, well either way both La Muerte and Xibalba’s characters designs are awesome. The backgrounds are also great especially when we get to see the land of the remembered which is just colorful lively and full of visual splendor. Animation is a medium where anything is possible and this movie takes full advantage of that with the showing of Mexican traditions and scenery in very creative ways.
The music could be a make-or-break deal for some moviegoers because while Composer Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla does provide many Mexican-inspired composition scores, the songs made for the movie are covers of popular songs but given a Mexican flair. I’m not a big fan of inserted pop songs in animated films, but I will say that at the very least they are well placed and move the story forward instead of halting the movie just to have another song for the soundtrack. My personal favorite is when Manolo sings his songs as his voice is so lovely and his execution in singing them is very charming and infectious.
This movie most likely explains why Free Birds was so bad because it feels like all the time, energy, passion, and creativity were being thrown into this movie instead. Compared to the studio’s last effort, this is a way better movie that has more artistic and fun ideas that are engaging and worthy of your time. It almost makes me wish that The Book of Life was the movie that Real FX studios would release first before Free Birds. Currently, the studio hasn’t released any other movies after this one as director Jorge R. Gutiérrez would go on to work on other projects. It may not be perfect, but Book of life is an above-average family feature that is sure to give you a rush of energy that features a good love story and artistically beautiful animation.
(Final Grade B+)