Monday, April 27, 2015

The Book of Life (2014)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!
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Manolo Sanchez and his best friend, Joaquin Mondragon, both fall in love with their childhood friend, Maria Posada. This relationship allows Xibalba and La Muerte to bet on who will win Maria's heart. However, Xibalba schemes to win the bet.

This film was directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez. This film is obviously based off a Mexican folklore and culture. This culturally driven film introduces the world to the Day of the Dead holiday. The story of this film mainly features death, and characters representative of death, in a kindhearted way that children can understand and enjoy. There are a lot of levels to this story and the characters that don't get fully addressed, because the film needs to explain the worlds they encounter. Unfortunately, there is one true villain in this story that is barely featured making him seem unimportant. Everyone else is redeemable. What I did enjoy was the unexpected relationship between Xibalba and La Muerte. The music used works to offer the film some modern influence, but it would've been better had the songs been original. The visuals for this film are vibrant and stunning. For those wanting more, there are promises of possible two sequels for this film. Diego Luna voiced the character Manolo Sanchez. He is the perfect sweetheart character that is very lovable. It is easy for younger audiences to sympathize with this character. Zoe Saldana voiced the character Maria Posada. They attempted to make the familiar feminine character not helpless and strong, but it was executed poorly. Channing Tatum voiced the character Joaquin Mondragon. In the beginning, it feels like he's meant to be a villain. However, the film keeps him as an understanding good guy with some misguided dreams.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It is a great animated film for children. It introduces the world to a culture they might not fully understand.

This film can be found on DVD.

Answer to last blog: Actor Daniel Huttlestone, Into the Woods, also starred in the musical Les Miserables.

Que: Who voiced the character La Muerte?

Kate del Castillo
Christina Applegate
Ana de la Reguera
Genesis Ochoa

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