Happy Halloween, everyone! Well,
considering it’s that time of year again when everyone likes to break out
nostalgic annual classics, and turn their attention to new yearly offerings, a
few days ago, I lent my attention to The Book of Life (You didn’t think I’d see
something torturous like Annabelle or Quija, did you?), the new animated
feature from Reel FX Animation Studios. That very name may leave a sour
aftertaste to many a viewer, considering that they were behind last year’s
critical failure Free Birds (which I have actively avoided). However, with a
different creative team behind it, including Guillermo del Toro as a producer,
The Book of Life is a generally fantastic film, and one of the year’s most
dazzling treats.
Del Toro’s influence is evident
from head to toe in this film, with both the writing and direction from Jorge
Gutierrez shining with surprising originality and superb execution. The
characters in this film are plentiful, and enchanting. At the core of the story
is the playful rivalry between best friends Manolo and Joaquin (voiced by Diego
Luna and Channing Tatum respectively), and the two of them vying for the affections
of Maria (voiced by the commanding, yet earnest Zoe Saldana). This friendship
between the two is especially genuine as it wisely chooses not to demonize either
of them for their intentions, but shows them for the lovable goofballs that
they are. They fight not with resentment, but like two children playfully
bickering with each other, and this leads to some great laughs.
The film thankfully avoids tired clichés
and tropes that would have only padded the film unnecessarily, and with that,
the film provides a poignant examination of coming to grips with one’s true
manhood, and eventual calling in life. The film has numerous memorable and
funny characters, but by far the most scene-stealing one is Xibalba, a
deceptive angel of death voiced with sinister delight by Ron Perlman. Xibalba
plays a lot like a more level headed and conniving version of Hades from Disney’s
Hercules, but the film thankfully keeps in mind that he isn’t a straight up
villain, but more of an old soul tired with a thankless position that leaves
him craving for acknowledgment. His character frequently engages in wagers with
his wife, La Muerte, which paints them as a bored couple trying to spice up
their lives, and leads to some priceless banter.
The film surprisingly takes itself
quite seriously, but never enough that it loses its sense of fun. It’s honestly
the type of story that would feel right at home in a Miyazaki film. However,
scenes featuring school children on a tour of a museum (which acts as a framing
device for the main story) often break the mood of the film for no good reason,
leaving us with groaners for jokes, and the occasional poop gag in the film
feels too cheap in contrast to the typically well timed comedy present through
the rest of the film.
In spite of this, the film is
still constantly entertaining, and if for no other reason, it’s worth watching
solely for its technical prowess. The film looks absolutely beautiful, with an
incredible puppetry attention to detail, and captures the Latin spirit of the
Day of the Dead with exquisite results. This is nothing to say of the film’s
flavorful music as well, which includes a beautiful score by Gustavo
Santaolalla, and a couple fantastic new songs co-written by Santaolalla and
Paul Williams. In spite of what drawbacks it may have, I generally loved The
Book of Life as much as I would a top-tier Pixar film, and while it may not be quite
as good as something like How to Train Your Dragon 2, it should be more than enough
to convince anyone that Reel FX can easily stand toe to toe with the other
animation juggernauts.
**** / *****
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