The Book of Life (2014)
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A bullfighter who dreams of becoming a musician must navigate the realms of the living and the dead to win the heart of his love.
The story
In the Mexican town of San Angel, a museum tour guide tells a group of students the story from the Book of Life, which holds all stories in the world. The narrative follows Manolo Sánchez, a bullfighter who dreams of becoming a musician. On the Day of the Dead, he faces personal challenges while trying to win the love of María Posada. As the two navigate their feelings, they are caught in a mystical conflict involving the rulers of the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten, who have made a wager over who will win María's heart.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with a tour guide, Mary Beth, recounting the legend of San Angel. Ages ago, the deities La Muerte and Xibalba wagered over the fate of María Posada. Xibalba cheated by giving Joaquín Mondragan Jr. the Medal of Everlasting Life. Years later, Manolo Sánchez, a bullfighter who secretly desires to be a musician, and María find themselves in a conflict of hearts. When a misunderstanding leads Manolo to believe María is dying, he is transported to the Land of the Remembered. There, he meets the Candle Maker and travels to the Land of the Forgotten to confront Xibalba's treachery. Xibalba offers to resurrect Manolo only if he survives a trial against a skeletal bull. Meanwhile, in the mortal world, María is pressured to marry Joaquín while the Bandit King Chakal attacks the town. Manolo faces the bull, and by singing a song of truth, he defeats it. The three deities then resurrect Manolo to defend San Angel from Chakal. Manolo and María are reunited and marry, while Xibalba and La Muerte reconcile. In the present, the tour guide and a guard are revealed to be the deities in disguise.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jorge R. Gutierrez
- Writers
- Jorge R. Gutierrez · screenplay; Doug Langdale · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Diego Luna · Manolo Sánchez; Zoe Saldaña · María Posada; Channing Tatum · Joaquín Mondragon Jr.; Ice Cube · the Candle Maker; Ron Perlman · Xibalba; Kate del Castillo · La Muerte; Christina Applegate · Mary Beth
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; adventure; comedy
- Themes
- tradition vs. personal identity; love; death and the afterlife
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; vibrant; heartfelt
- Setting
- The Mexican town of San Angel and the mystical realms of the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten during the Day of the Dead.
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; mythology; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original idea by Jorge R. Gutierrez
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, praised for its vibrant animation and atmosphere, though some critics noted a formulaic plot.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · scale: percentage · review count: 125; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Animated Feature Film · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally optioned by DreamWorks Animation in 2007 but was rejected due to creative differences.; The animation was designed to look exactly like the concept artwork.; The film's production was influenced by the creator's previous work on the series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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