Starring: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman
The Book of Life
Director: Jorge R. Gutierrez
Rating: 3/5
We have been treated to a range of great animation movies so far this year, and The Book of Life is another that is well worth checking out this weekend.
Jorge R. Gutierrez makes his feature film directorial debut, while Guillermo del Toro has put his producing hat back on for this project. The Book Of Life is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart.
Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
Rich with a fresh take on pop music favourites, The Book Of Life encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.
The Book of Life is a movie that delves into, explores a range of different Mexico myths, and is a movie that has Guillermo del Toro written all over it - even though he is not in the director's chair.
This is a colourful, entertaining, and energetic movies that mixes explores the tabook of death without ever getting too dark and grim.
It is a movie that fantastically mixes light and shade and really will remind you of The Nightmare Before Christmas in that respect.
The animation is the film's real strong point, as The Book of Life is such a beautiful movie. The imagery is a real delight and you really can get lost in the visuals that are put on the screen.
Sadly, the story itself doesn't quite live up the lavishness and craft that is so obvious in the animation and that is a major shame.
However, The Book of Life some have some great characters and there is more than enough here to keep children and adults thoroughly entertained.
But you just know that this film could have been so much more if as much time had been invested in the story as in the way that the movie looks.
Having said all of that, The Book of Life is a movie that you can really kick back with and truly enjoy - the look of the movie is worth the price of the ticket.