First lets; clarify; I am not Mexican nor any in my family and friend group; however it has been a long long time since we catch kids movie able to captivate 5,6,7 or 8 year old girls and boy and the parents that took them. Just the quality, colors and artistry of the images; makes the movie worth; but the subject matter is even more impressive. How many times you were able to really laugh on a subject matter like death and make children (and adults) happy with an adventure that is pure entertainment but also gives a quite poetic look at life and dead. In brief; take your children to see it as an excuse; you probably will enjoy it even more. Forget PIXAR formula products; this is just a masterpiece

This is a beautiful animated film. Very unique in comparison to other animated films out there. I loved that it had funny parts - for adults as well as kids - but it isn't a silly comedy. It is a gorgeous, epic folkloric tale of family, tradition and finding your own way. I laughed and cried, and my kids loved it as much as I did. My kids (ages 3.5 and 5.5) both were entranced and never got bored or scared watching this film. For families: it wasn't scary at all. I worried maybe the "skeleton" painted Day of the Dead characters may be creepy but they weren't at all. The sets and characters were all very beautiful and unique. The Land of the Remembered was especially visually stunning. I found it especially touching as a parent of young kids with numerous generations in "our village" helping raise my kids and help carry each other through life's highs and lows. I was reminded by this film of the importance of all the generations that came before us - how we are shaped by our families. How we learn from and must respect those who came before us. That was a nice message for me and my kids. But, it also shows that, while we respect, learn from and inherit gifts from our fore-bearers, we also have a responsibility to be true to ourselves, to make our own way and find our true calling. It was also touchingly romantic. It felt very genuine and warm throughout but the sweet romantic story was especially touching. You could tell a lot of love went into making this film. I hope it does well - it should on its own merit!

It's October and it is usually the time for Halloween themed movies. Unfortunately for us, Halloween has been reduced to cheap horrors, or repetitive thrillers that are a bit of a bore. This year has been slightly different, but this reviewer would like the studios to go back in the past and pull some more seasonal themes to entertain us. Well, someone got my vibe, because my last review is on a film that captures the festive fun that Halloween is for the young and young at heart. So sit back my friends and catch my latest review on the animated feature The Book of Life.

I'll start this review with talking about the story. The Book of Life has a fantastic tale that centers on the typical complication of a love triangle between characters Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoe Saldana), and Joaquin (Channing Tatum). Now we know the typical elements involved in this type of plot, but this film deviates from the typical and gives a little more pep around the story. From the start you get the backstory on each character, and the individual struggles they each face. Then they take these qualities and exploit them by bringing in the two masters of the underworld, who make a wager as to who will win the girl. The result of this wager, makes for an interesting romantic tale that is fun, emotional, and more realistic than half the dramas we get these days. However, the movie does not stop there, instead it ties in an adventure and blends it into all the aspects, making for a fun film. Once more, the whole tale revolves around the Mexican celebration of the day of the dead, bringing a unique take on the classic Halloween tale and providing a little education as well.

The story isn't the only thing influenced by the Mexican culture though, the artistic style of the movie is also heavily influenced. The Book of Life is sort of a modern day Nightmare Before Christmas where CGI takes the place of stop motion animation. Many of the elements are similar, with the skeletons and landscapes sharp and angular to mirror the darkness of the afterlife. However, unlike Tim Burton, this director chose to liven things up a little by veering from the dark colors and adding wide splashes of colorful. This is not only to catch your eyes, but also to mirror the celebration that Day of the Dead is about and that life doesn't end as long as you are remembered. In the Underworld especially the color comes out, and the festivities are brought to full fold in the magical realm of the dead. Deep in the land of the Forgotten, the oblivion of elimination is presented by a frozen cavern where hope is nonexistent. Regardless, the worlds are diverse and fun, filled with ancient Central American influences that were a welcomed change. Even the characters have pizazz to them, each main character standing out in their own unique way. I in particular liked the Queen of the underworld, impressed with the blend of partying, happy, and death all wrapped into one package. The ruler of the Forgotten Land, was also of unique design, sharp, dark edges in shades of purple, neon green, and crimson to portray the darkness of his soul.

What else makes this movie fun? The next aspect is the comedy, which for the most part is well timed and well delivered. There isn't much unique writing or witty humor in this movie, but more in how it is delivered. Countless puns are shouted in ridiculous voices, often followed by a character face planting into an object. What's even better is that the comedy is also diverse and spread out instead of following the typical style of beating a joke to death, the exception being Joaquin's obsession with mustaches. In addition to the comedy, the music also brings some thing to the film. Most of the numbers are covers of famous songs, some done horribly to be funny and others that are very relevant to the plot. A couple of the original numbers made my emotions go on a ride, as happiness, sadness, and even love all came together in the instruments and voice. Now most won't find it as powerful as Frozen, but for this reviewer it was nice having the music around the movie, not the opposite way around. Aside from the singing, the voice acting is incredible, each of the cast capturing the essence of the stereotypical Mexican character. Now there are too many to write about so let me pick my three favorites. First is Christina Applegate, the girl has got sass, spunk, and compassion all at work in her tour guide character. The girls sells the story as she uses the wooden puppets, which are represented in the character design, to craft the tale, keeping the kids in line, and yet showing empathy. Then there was Zoe Saldana who has the feisty Mexican girl zest that shows everyone girls don't need men to save them. Her voice is suave and full of passion, and exactly the buffer needed amidst the rowdy, rough voices of the cast. Finally the Queen of the Dead was my favorite character, and Kate del Castillo does a nice job bringing the character to life with flare, kindness, and the ability to hold her own.

What can you take away from my sporadic rambling? The Book of Life is one of the better animated films I've seen in a while. It's Halloween fun, with colorful worlds and characters that balance out the predictable and limited tale. I strongly recommend seeing this movie in theaters, possibly in 3-D. I haven't had this much fun at the movies in quite some time, and I believe most will enjoy the adventure at hand. My scores for this film are:

Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 9.5 Movie Overall: 9.0

While I have to admit I'm not exactly the greatest Jorge R. Gutierrez fan (In fact, I strongly disliked his series "El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera") I found "The Book of Life" to be a pretty enjoyable flick, with very good animation (The art style of Jorge R. Gutierrez looks surprisingly good in the CGI format, with stylish designs and impressively detailed sceneries.) likable characters and a fun story which balances very well the comedy, romance and adventure.

The musical aspect was quite good too. Against what I was expecting, the use of modern songs was moderate, and each one of the musical moments this movie has serves in some way or another for the plot and character development, with more than effective results. This aspect, combined with all the other positive qualities this movie has serve to make it a very good animated film for the whole family.

There is too much to like about "The Book of Life". For me, it was definitely a pleasant surprise, and while I'm not entirely sure to consider this the best animated film of the year 2014, it is definitely a strong contender for that category, along with "The Lego Movie" and "How to Train your Dragon 2". Definitely worth- watching.

9/10

Musical Manolo, scrappy Joaquin and smart Maria are three close childhood pals. Maria gets sent to Europe to study. Joaquin gets seriously into training as a military officer. Manolo is discouraged by his father from his musical aspirations, forcing him instead to take up bullfighting, which is the traditional Sanchez family occupation. When Maria returns to town after several years, Joaquin and Manolo vie for her heart.

Meanwhile, the two lords of the underworld, La Muerta (mistress of the Land of the Remembered) and Xibalba (master of the Land of the Forgotten) take a bet as to who Maria will end up with. On the Day of the Dead, the deities interfere with the outcome, leading to an adventure which will bring the characters from the land of the living to the land of the dead and back.

The most striking feature of this film is the animation style. The human characters are made to look like wooden puppets. This artworks were so ingeniously crafted such that each character is distinct from each other. The three main human characters all look very good and noble. The supporting characters are rather on the ugly, distorted side in their rendition, and these may need getting used to.

The background artwork is no less spectacular. The highlight of the whole film are those scenes in the Land of the Remembered, showing it as a happy bustling and festive place. The colors were so vibrant and rich. The multi-layered designs were so intricate and meticulous in their endemically Mexican-inspired details.

Another wonderful feature of this film is the musical score, written by Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla. This musician has been awarded the Oscar two times before for films "Babel" and "Brokeback Mountain." The soundtrack also employs the most unexpected pop songs, sung Mexican style of course. Hearing a familiar song being sung makes me smile and even sing along. The sensitive singing voice of Diego Luna (as Manolo) makes songs as diverse as Radiohead's "Creep" to Elvis' "Can't Help Falling in Love" sound so good.

I believe this film had a lot of educational value in it for the young audience it targets. There are a lot of Latino values being tackled here about friendship and family, the status of women, the respect for the dead, etc., which are likewise universal as well, more often than not. It also introduces us, both kids and adults alike, to the vibrant Mexican culture, especially about their Day of the Dead.

The pace of the film was slow at first, but once you get into its groove, you will surely enjoy the eventful ride. My two sons with me, as well as the much younger kids in the theater with us, all seemed to enjoy the film very much as you hear a lot of gleeful laughter at the some of the shallower jokes. This was despite the rather macabre subject matter and several grotesque-looking (albeit in a comical way) characters. It also had humorous moments that only adults would chuckle at.

Aside from Diego Luna, the line-up of voice actors surprisingly included Zoe Saldana as Maria and Channing Tatum as Joaquin. I would not have guessed. Other familiar names such as Ron Perlman and Christina Applegate are also on board. The most unexpected name I saw on the list though was that of Ice Cube as the sunshiny fluffy underworld character named Candlemaker. Some well-known Latino actors like Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo and Placido Domingo voice the more mature characters, like Manolo's dad and ancestors.

Overall, "The Book of Life" is a very unique animated feature film. The basic story is based on Mexican folklore and traditions, so the animation style had the colors, designs and style of Mexico. The different look and unfamiliar references may turn off some less adventurous viewers, but really it should not. This is one very educational and very entertaining film for all ages. Writer and Director Jorge R. Gutierrez was able to successfully expand on his experience on Nickelodeon's frenetic award-winning animated series "El Tigre:The Adventures of Manny Rivera" (which he also created) and here proudly showcased his beloved Mexican roots on a much bigger platform. 8/10.

Saw the movie as part a screening tonight with my sister, her friend, and my daughter (age 12). We all really enjoyed the movie. I laughed a lot and teared up a few times. Song choices were so funny sometimes. If you're like me and in your thirties, you will definitely recognize several of the song choices. When certain ones popped up (no names, as I don't want to spoil anything), the parents all started laughing so hard. My daughter enjoyed the movie so much that she wanted to go and see it again. It had some pretty good life lessons sprinkled in throughout the humor and songs. If your child is pretty young, there may be parts of the movie that scare them just a bit (it is a movie about the dead, after all) and a couple jokes that are aimed more at adults. I highly recommend this movie.

Book of life is one of the most colorful and original set designs I have every seen in an animated movie, especially in that is CGI animation.

This movie toke a real surrealistic style to the character design in order to pay homage to Mexican culture.

It's a classic fairy tale being told in a story within a story manner, with a museum tour guide telling a group of kids a fairy tale of three children who lives will effect the center of the universe, aka Mexico, when Gods gamble on what type of people they would be as adults.

Although as a semi-musical, the Glee approach in mixing in original content with contemporary hits kind of lessened the originality of the flick, but as a whole the movie was quite entertaining.

24 October 2014 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester This Morning - The Book of Life. An unusual animation from the stable of Jorge R Gutierrez. Joaquin, Maria and Manolo are best friends who are torn apart when Maria is sent to Europe to calm her wild ways. The two boys are both in love with her and when she returns, they compete for her affections unaware their lives are being controlled by the two Lords of the Underworlds, who have set a wager on the outcome of their love triangle. La Muerta is the mistress of the beautiful and vibrant Land of The Remembered, whilst Xibalba is the discontented ruler of the Land of The Forgotten. The characters were portrayed as wooden puppet style people, yet when they entered the Land of The Remembered they became exquisitely carved skeletons. The animation was amazing. Apart from all the characters in in three lands I found myself avidly watching the backgrounds. The colours were so vibrant and the details were so beautifully worked. This film was set around the Mexican Day of The Dead and the whole feel of it came across as one glorious fiesta. Another animation triumph and a spectacular musical score to match.

This movie was absolutely stunning and for many reasons - from the characters, to the designs in their clothing, the different lands, the gods, everything was just so pleasing to look at.

I felt that the character development was immaculate. As I was watching, I had become very attached to each character and it was so easy to be fully immersed in the story. You went through all the emotions and feelings with the cast, and the voice acting was just so very believable.

Diego Luna's singing was captivating as you didn't have to question if his emotion was real. The music itself was gorgeous and deserves so much recognition, I especially enjoyed the mariachi renditions, I found them fun and catchy, some even better than the originals. There is a modern mix of songs but I have to say it was complimentary to the plot and was what I would consider a little something for the adults in the audience.

The story was something you would think Walt Disney himself would have given a thumbs up for. The plot and overall story telling was phenomenal. There was something for everyone - romance, comedy, heart warming moments, and action as well as adventure all nestled into a positive message you can take away from it.

In summation, this movie deserves many awards as it embodies the whole package. It was outstandingly well made and thought out, and the casting was wonderful. I hope that it receives all the recognition it deserves. I recommend this film to everyone and I will most definitely be picking up my copy when it is released. I feel as though this movie far surpasses any of the most recent Disney films, with Beauty and the Beast being the only contender. I rate this movie 10/10

THE BOOK OF LIFE is produced by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Jorge Gutierrez, and features an outstanding voice cast to tell its story of true love (along with a generous helping of Mexican culture). The basic plot is about two boys, Joaquin (Diego Luna) and Manolo (Channing Tatum), who vie for the affections of a girl, Maria (Zoe Saldana). As people they're fairly opposite, with Manolo being a musician at heart (his family's profession is bullfighter) and Joaquin being a soldier who does great deeds of derring-do. Unbeknownst to them, however, Lady Muerte and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) have entered into a wager about which of them can win the heart of Maria and it sets Manolo on a journey that will take him to both realms of the dead. First, I should say that the character design, animation and overall look of the film was extremely creative and visually unique, befitting a Guillermo del Toro production. The colors popped and everything in the world of the film was brought to vibrant life. The voice cast was equally impressive, although there were a couple of people who took me out of it for a little bit before getting sucked back into the story. The biggest offender was probably Ice Cube, who voices the Candlemaker, although they did stick in a couple of good jokes and references for him. I also got taken a little bit out of the story by realizing that Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin also voiced characters in the film, but again, they still did great work here. Another high point was the music. The score was pretty good, but what really stood out was the use of modern pop songs in what is (mostly) a period piece set at an indeterminate time in the past. Of course, I didn't mind that one bit at all. I also thought that the first half to two-thirds of the story were excellent. It succeeded telling an emotionally moving story with plenty of interesting characters, but at a certain point it resorted to the standard climax and resolution that wrapped up everything with a nice little bow. And despite much of the humor working, at times I felt it was a little too silly for its own good. Still, at the end I was completely won over. Had I seen this last year, I'm fairly certain it would have made my top ten. As it stands, this was an incredibly charming and visually rich film that should appeal to kids and adults alike, and also serves as a valuable cultural lesson.

Many things could have gone wrong with The Book Of Life. This boisterous, big-hearted animated film is bursting with ideas and colour, stuffed to the brim with - one suspects - pretty much every idea that struck writer-director Jorge Gutierrez's fancy. Indeed, the final film plays very much like the charming but unpolished debut of a filmmaker who can't quite believe he was lucky enough to get the attention of producer Guillermo del Toro, and has no intention of wasting the opportunity in case it never comes around again. As a result, The Book Of Life practically trembles with too many ideas and influences, but remains so earnest and inventive that it's easy to forgive its predictable, overstuffed plot.

In a small Mexican town on the Day Of The Dead, we meet the protagonists of the story: steadfast, earnest Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna), who would rather strum a guitar than fight a bull in the tradition of his forefathers; brash, adventurous Joaquin (Channing Tatum), who becomes the town hero in trying to avenge the murder of his father by bandits; and spunky, intelligent Maria (Zoe Saldana), daughter of the mayor who inevitably wins the hearts of both young men. The stakes, however, are higher than they could ever imagine: the two godly rulers of the underworld, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), have gambled dominion over each other's lands on the outcome of the love triangle.

It would be an understatement to say that there's a lot going on in The Book Of Life. The film covers everything from a mystical medal that lends invulnerability to anyone who wears it, to a tantalising love-hate relationship between the two gods, while spiced up with musical interludes galore. (It's not often that the film's hero will pause to belt out a soul-searching rendition of Radiohead's Creep, but that kind of thing happens all the time in The Book Of Life.) Mix it all up with retellings of Mexican folklore, including visits to the joyously colourful Land of the Remembered and the ghostly grey Land of the Forgotten, and the film can be a somewhat frenetic viewing experience, to say the least.

But, for all that Gutierrez packs his film full of ideas and details, he also manages to make most of it work very well. The love triangle may be trite, but there's nevertheless enough heart and humour holding Manolo, Maria and Joaquin together. Manolo's relationships with his dad Carlos (Hector Elizondo) and his departed mom Carmen (Ana de la Reguera) are coloured in with surprising depth as well. It's also wonderful to see a love triangle centred around a girl who knows her own mind - and rest assured that Maria speaks it often enough to make a real impact.

The Book Of Life also doubles as a very welcome riot of imagination and tradition. Every frame of the film is beautifully and thoughtfully designed, down to the fact that Manolo seems to have been intricately crafted out of wood. Moreover, instead of shying away from its Mexican roots to increase its global marketability, the film firmly embraces them. This gives Gutierrez room to craft some delicately dark moments in a graveyard or two, reminding everyone that those who have died can still live as long as they're remembered by the ones who loved them. And yet, the film never descends into darkness, instead tapping into the giddying energy of a fiesta - most memorably in a journey through the Land of the Remembered - complete with heady bursts of colour and music.

There's no denying that Gutierrez's film can occasionally be too much to handle. It's loud and almost cheerfully silly, tossing pop songs and Mexican folklore into a mix that sometimes doesn't work. But, at its best, The Book Of Life is like a rambunctious puppy: messy, loud and insistent, but radiating so much life and charm that it becomes quite impossible to resist.

When "The Book of Life" began, I was really enthralled by its creative art style. After all, there are so many CGI films out these days that it's great to see one that looks so different and bold. There also were a few scenes that simply blew me away with the grand look--such as when the film went to the Kingdom of the Dead. In this sense, "The Book of Life" is clearly a gorgeous film. I also really appreciated the character designs. Imagine if you look traditional Mexican articulated wooden sculptures for Day of the Dead and you make many of the characters look like living versions of these statues--that is what most of the characters looked like in this movie. I loved this and felt that the animators and artists were by far the biggest stars of the film and I could see this film being nominated for technical awards because of this.

Unfortunately, apart from the artistry, there wasn't a lot I loved about the film. The story had great parts--but too often the characters were poorly developed, clichéd and one-dimensional. Also the soundtrack was simply bizarre. There were just too many singing interludes and the range of genres was so broad that it just left me baffled. Imagine...the film uses some traditional Latin tunes but also had some songs written by Paul Williams ("The Apology Song" was actually quite good I must say), "Do You Think I'm Sexy" (by Rod Stewart) and a very adult tune originally by Radiohead (the song "Creep",-which includes a line about someone being so 'f---ing special', although fortunately the song ended just before this line)! Who chose these tunes?! Overall, the film looked great but otherwise left me very, very flat. Not terrible but with such artistry it's hard to imagine the rest of it being so sub-par. It's sad, as I really did want to see a Mexican storyline and it was nice to see so many Latin-American voice actors (though Channing Tatum and Ice Cube seemed like odd additions to the rest of the cast). Flawed but interesting.

The Book of Life is so close to greatness, yet so far. I liked the characters. I liked the scope. I loved the animation, one of the few times 3D animation is as stylized as 2D. A complete rewrite and an additional 20 minutes could have made Book of Life an 8 or higher. Sadly, Book of Life has one of the most atrocious scripts I've seen in the theater. Its a dumb, annoying, unfunny movie, built for the modern kid over the family.

I can't go into every grievance I have. I was fuming in the theater, and just blazing in the car. The framing device is pointless. The narration is completely unnecessary. They can't decide to criticize or embrace their love triangle. There's tons of stupid slapstick characters. Serious moments are ruined by jokes. Characters speak in modern lingo. Plot points are brought up and resolved with a hand-wave.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! I feel like the writers should have taken a 101 college class, if only to learn "Show, don't tell!" Its humor lacks creativity or timing, and only hampers a relatively serious story. Book of Life is an inept train-wreck, saved by its artistry (I'm surprised it only cost $50 million).

Personally, I'd only recommend it for the die-hard fans of animation, or parents with nothing else to do. Its the most disappointing movie I've seen this year.

I'm Del Toro's biggest fan...BUT, this was nothing even close to what we are used to see of this director/producer...beautiful graphics...but that's it. I went with my two daughters and we found it extremely boring. It's one cliché after another, and, is really predictable what your are going to see.

We left before the end of the movie...

I suppose that for other countries maybe its refreshing to see new mortuary customs, but for us, Latin Americans, its nothing new.

I had big expectations based from previous movies like "El Laberinto del Fauno" or "Pacific Rim". This movie did not met my expectations.

The idea of the movie is OK, but the implementation of it is horrible, so basically if you're interested in indoctrinating your kids with the idea/message that "all men are the same" and that all women that aren't educated act "stupid" and that women that have education must act like boys and consider all men as inferior(a farm animal being superior)/not needed, and presents a confusion of pseudo-religious and social concepts with the intent of preparing your kid for the next level of leftist indoctrination when he grows up, then, this is the movie for you. I gave the 4/10 because it's not boring but not good either(even with politics aside).

Review: This is an average movie about 2 best friends who both love the same girl and fight to prove who is worthy of her love. One is a famous bull fighter, who really wants to be a musician and the other is a highly decorated soldier who protects his village from evil. There are some other elements to the storyline which makes it quite interesting but the animation looked weird, especially the characters with the weird noses which looked more like snouts. Personally, I think that the storyline is a bit too confusing for kids and the songs weren't that great. I did enjoy all of the scenes with Ice Cube but most of the movie was corny and it seemed a bit messy. On the plus side, the kids will like the vibrant colours and the love story between Manolo and Maria but I was expecting more from this film. Average!

Round-Up: Although I didn't think that this movie was that great, it did make a healthy profit at the box office, mainly because it's a fun day out for the family. I couldn't really tell who was Chaning Tatum but Ice Cube and Ron Perlman was blatantly obvious. The animation looked a bit blocky but the attention to detail was quite impressive. As the film had a Mexican flavour, I think the director missed the chance to have a great soundtrack. Anyway, it's not an all time classic like Frozen, which did rely a lot on the soundtrack, but it's harmless fun for the whole family. 

Budget: $50million Worldwide Gross: $97.5million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their animation movies about 2 best friends who are fighting against each other to impress there true love. 4/10

On October 17th Twentieth Century Fox brings a new Halloween movie to the big screen. This is sure to become a must-see for everyone at Halloween time!

This animated feature is set in South America. It is colorful and festive and I enjoyed learning about all the different cultural beliefs of Latin America. On the day that we celebrate Halloween, they celebrate Mexican Day of the Dead. This movie is funny, cute and the story keeps your attention from beginning to the end.

Many of the movies we see today seem like the same story or theme told in different ways. This movie is truly an original. There are many hints of movies you have seen before but overall, it is truly a different movie. The animators' attention to detail is mind boggling.

The characters are made of wood but, after the first five minutes you see them as real people. The intercut details are astonishing. The unique personalities and different characters will keep you entertained. Animals, people, spirits - this movie has it all.

Maria is my favorite because she is a little girl with cute pig tails. She is fun, bubbly, tough and adventurous. Her independence gets her in trouble but at the same time it is her greatest asset. We watch her grow from a child to a young lady. She keeps the same spirit and kind heart. She must choose who to marry between her two best friends. Zoe Saldana voices the character and really brings her to life.

The candlestick maker, voiced by Ice Cube, is laugh-out-loud funny. Even though he is not in the movie for very much time, you will leave with a smile on your face just thinking about him.

Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin, Hector Elizondo are three amigos who try to help one of our heroes win Maria's hand in marriage. The singing group is hilarious. The song choices are great and made me giggle. There are many messages in this film. The two heroes follow in their father footsteps. We see how it is important to remember your ancestors but also know that you are your own person and should follow your own path. Although it has been a long-standing tradition, bull fighting is beginning to be thought of as wrong. The bulls should be allowed to live. We see how it takes a whole village of people to protect and look out for each other and how everyone needs to be on the same team helping everyone else.

I recommend this movie ages 7 to 18. It is about Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead. Although it is entertaining it is still about death and there is violence. I give this movie 5 out of 5 twinkling stars.

Reviewed by KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Morgan B.

The Book of Life (2014) is beautifully animated, lovingly hilarious and super adorable! Aside from being artistically enchanting, it is also everlasting as it filled with plenty of invaluable life lessons! Honestly, it isn't easy to use just one word to describe this film but if I have to, it would be EXTRAORDINARY!

There is a lot of depth and efforts put into this film. Each of the characters are distinctive in their own and the story is certainly enchanting! From the Mexican cultural values and background elements to its stunning visuals and entertaining adventure; it's evident that this wouldn't be possible without the hard work, skills and wits of the creators of this film!

Honestly, I am truly impressed with this film and this would be the my longest movie review so far! I may seem biased but I am not alright. This film really deserve all t-this... love?!

SO... HERE'S FIVE REASONS WHY I THINK THE BOOK OF LIFE (2014) IS EXTRAORDINARY!

1. The Book of Life (2014) have beautiful art or in their own words, unique visual style! I love how everything's so pretty, vivid and colorful. By everything, I really meant everything; all the characters designs, world designs and whatnot. The real world, the land of remembered and the land of forgotten are vastly different realms but they are all still equally and really beautiful!!

Take in mind that this is the animation studio's second feature film and it's already this beautiful so how not to admire them? Sigh, if only death and afterlife is that beautiful! T_T...

2. Great music and lyrics. Okay, I understand everyone has different tastes in music and I am certainly not an expert in music but the songs here in the movie are performed with nothing but full of genuine feelings! Some of the songs are funny, some are touching or heartbreaking and some are just romantic or adorable but how can these be not great when all those songs matches the mood of the scenes and enhances the impact of the storytelling?

3. We can learn some Spanish words as well as how and when you should use it. It's fun to pick up new foreign words, you know! (You can read the list of words I've learned on my blog or moviepilot post)

4. Full of invaluable life lessons that deals with love, life, death and dreams. I guess ultimately the main message of this animated feature is be yourself; do and fight for what what you love and what you hold dear! Don't ever change yourself because of others' expectation! And.. our loved ones will always be with us if we always remember and truly love them!

5. Last but not least, you'll certainly have fun watching this endearing film! Although which two characters will get together in the end is kind of predictable, the unusual adventure overall isn't predictable at all! If I can give them an award, it would be "The Best Animated Storytelling of the Year!" ^___^

You should watch this if you love animations when it's out on theatres; this latest Halloween animated feature that celebrates the Day of the Dead is certainly not your typical love and death story!

My movie review ends here. As The Book of Life (2014) is truly unlike anything i have seen before, it easily becomes one of my all time favorite animated feature! You know, I have been waiting for this for months and thank God it did not disappoint!

PS. I wish there's really such a book; I would die to get myself a copy!

Much of what people hear about Mexico is negative. When the country appears on CNN, they tell of a drug lord who is trying to make his way into the States with his product or that the children need donations of water and clothes. They treat this as if Mexico was a third world country, even though I see nothing more then a country that's more disorganized than dangerous. What most people seem to forget is that Mexico is land where it's history and culture is filled with riches of artistic merit that has become more present in our American culture.

The Mexican day of the dead is one of their most important holidays as its traditions encourage celebration rather then fear. The scary masks and skeletons wish that we need to remember the people that we've lost as our memories of them are their fuel to live in the afterlife. Treating death as a party sounds like an offensive idea, but I find it rather southing, not to mention feeling a bit cultured as I've been taught something unique about the customs from the south of the border. Producer Guillermo Del Toro bring us the day of the dead in the animated format of The Book of Life.

In the real world, a bunch of delinquent children are brought to a museum where a tour guide Mary Beth (played by Christina Applegate) takes them to a special room where the title book of life is and proceeds to tell a story from it, using wooden figures that come to life within the tale.

In the Mexican town of San Angel, two gods, La Muerte (played by Kate del Castillo) the ruler of the land of the remembered and Xibala (played by Ron Perlman) the ruler of the land of the forgotten, wager upon two boys that have fallen in love with the same girl is set to determine whether good triumphs evil.

Over the years, Manolo (played by Diego Luna) has been training to be a bullfighter even though he would rather be a musician. His friend Joaquín (played by Channing Tatum) has become a courageous solider that the town loves (though he's cheated by wearing a magical medal that protects him from death). They both have their hearts set on the adult María (played by Zoe Saldana). Sensing that Manolo has a better chance of winning, Xibala tricks him into getting bitten by a two headed snake. This sends Manolo into the land of the remembered where his ancestors help him find a way back into living.

The Book of Life has an amazing design. I went to a 3D screening of this and was blown away by how beautiful and imaginative this was. It was a great idea to have wooden figurines as the focus as the regular human designs are the only thing bland and fake looking. Human skin seems to be the most difficult thing to computer animate and Book of Life was smart to take another route. The art is to die for, but how's the content?

Substance was clearly not the focus as I got a bland love story along with a bland hero, bland charmer, bland girl, bland gods, and even bland animal sidekicks. You would think that having a passionate creative mind like Guillermo Del Toro would warrant something with a lot more texture. Oh well, for what it is, the winner here is the animation and look. The day of the dead stuff is even educational and I wouldn't object a child watching this.

I'll give this six dead mariachi groups out of ten. It'll probably make for a nice time killer and I might pick up an art of The Book of Life book for my coffee table.

I really wanted to love this. The design and texturing of every character, scene and prop is absolutely gorgeous. In that aspect they really recreated Day of the Dead culture beautifully. The gags are sometimes funny, sometimes silly ... I can accept that in a movie made primarily of kids. The story is OK for the most part.

Where it really fell short for me was the soundtrack. There would suddenly be a pop song that totally takes you out of this entire cultural world they put so much effort into creating, to the degree that it's laughable. Not even a Mexican pop song, but some blatant American or English pop that either came across cheesy or completely ridiculous. Whoever chose to put Elvis or Radiohead in this film totally ruined it for me. There is certainly more appropriate Mexican music to support the mood of the film. Why recreate the look of an entire cultural event only to throw in something musically that so completely doesn't fit in the context of the mood, story or film? I don't get it

The Book of Life is a refreshing new animated tale about Mexican folk beliefs, especially the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), a day where families and friends gather to pray for and remember their loved ones who have died. Aside from its basic themes about love, family and friendship, The Book of Life features some mature, darker ones such as life and death, pursue your dreams, never forget those who have passed on and never stop looking forward to the future at the same time, always be yourself and never lose sight of who you are. The plot is done with enough wit, charm, humour and sincerity that makes it an enjoyable ride.

The story is mainly about three childhood friends, Manolo, Joaquin and Maria who got caught in a wager going on between the Mexican lords of the underworld, La Muerte (ruler of The Land of the Remembered) and Xibalba (ruler of The Land of the Forgotten). These deities each pick a champion between these two boys and bet on who can win Maria's heart and marry her. So best friends become bitter love rivals for a woman's heart. Aside from that, Manolo is torn between following his heart to become a musician or satisfy his dad's expectation to continue the family's legacy.

The film is beautiful, stylish and visually stunning. Despite its darker tone, the film doesn't feel terrifying at all. It shows us a world filled with wonder and spectacle, especially The Land of the Remembered, which is full of vibrant, lively colours despite the fact that it's actually the land of the undead. It provides us unique, captivating character designs and set pieces with close attention to detail about Mexican culture and traditions. The characters are strong, charming and lovable. The film did a fine job addressing the importance of remembering our loved ones who have died. The love triangle between Manolo, Maria and Joaquin is well developed as well.

The songs chosen for the film were great, breathes life into the scenes and provide the necessary emotional impact to keep the audience engaged throughout the film. I do admit there are a few plot contrivances here and there, but remember, this is still a kids/family film, so just cut it some slack and give it a chance. Some of the voice actors did a good job imitating the Mexican accent to make it feel like an authentic Mexican animation. Overall, it's a charming, sweet romantic film with surprising depth and plenty of heart that's good enough for both kids and adults to enjoy at the same time. A recommended watch.

Rating: 8/10

http://yjcool.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-book-of-life.html

First off, as an illustrator and animator, the set and character designs were beyond stunning. I can tell the amount of research the team had done, and I appreciate every eyefull of it, it was so vibrant and beautiful.

Past the amazing design choices and art direction, the story itself was very well told too. I especially admired that there wasn't a "bad guy", there were just people against the protagonist. It really gave personality to each person, seeing what they dreamed of and what they wanted out of life.

One thing that especially makes me so excited about this movie is also that it isn't based on white western culture, honestly it gets so tiring seeing the same old Disney girl falls in love with boy thing. And its really nice to see something that is so different in its visual and setting choices, and also seeing them do it in a way that isn't offensive.

A lot of the pop songs in the movie seemed very unnecessary and didn't fit the setting at all, I really wish they used original scores or even just music that fit the culture more, it would have flown that much more. On the same kind of topic, a few of the jokes were unneeded as well. An example is the running gag of the four "pretty" ladies, it could have been taken out, and close to nothing would have been lost. It feels like its just a trope that they felt had to be used. Or even after the incredibly touching scene where Monolo defeated the final bull, then the Candlemaker just burst out with joy, it switched the scene too quickly and it didn't give me time to really take in what had just happened.

Overall, I adored the movie, even with its faults. Its one that I'll be anxiously awaiting the art book and DVD for, and maybe even some merch!

What we have here is a imaginative, visually stunning feast for the eyes overlayed upon a rather boiler-plate story. The Mexican imagery is lush, detailed, colorful and while that is enough for a time, it does fatigue when there is nothing compelling behind it. The music is, strangely and sadly, American pop tunes spiced up with a little accordian or guitar to remind us this is supposed to be Mexico. Why not have the characters sing some really beautiful Mexican ballads? As for that story, it's a weak re-hash of pretty much every animated and super-hero film you've seen in the last few years. Good guy must triumph against all odds and achieve the goal, in this case, winning the girl, and is thwarted along the way by the super-evil character. You could actually watch this with the sound off and just enjoy the visuals and still understand the story.

Right after watching this movie i have already decided to watch this again (and again). The visuals are absolutely stunning and so creative.

I will not say too much about the story, you can read that in other reviews, except that it is a collage of Mexican folklore wrapped in a love story.

The animation is mind blowing, things that shouldn't work do work. For example the exaggerated physical features normally i don't like too much, but in this film they work.

The world that the director created is just amazing, in every shot there is so much to see.

For everyone that enjoys a good and fun story and loves animation you have to see this. I know i will be seeing it again

this is my first review of any movie title here ! that should tell ya how exasperatingly surprised and awkwardly good i felt after watching this one !

pleasantly surprised- mesmerizing colors, silly yet meaningful songs (rather short lasting though), excellent voices and an overwhelmingly likable plot- excellent in every sense of the word !

there are those light moments- Ice Cube nails his moments ! n then there are those moments of true emotions- perfectly balanced !

Jorge R. Gutierrez- u rocked this one man !

a must see for young and old !