Trailer for the Guillermo del Toro-produced animated flick, The Book of Life

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I recall reading about an animated project that Guillermo del Toro wanted to get off the ground, but immediately shelved the thought. After all, the man is busy enough with his own directorial projects, let alone his produced ones. Now that writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez has a trailer out for his feature, THE BOOK OF LIFE, it’s time to sit up and take notice.

The synopsis is as follows:

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 favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.

I really love the artistic style in which they modeled the characters and world after. For me, it’s very reminiscent of Tim Schafer’s Grim Fandango. When you take into account that every other computer animated film looks like it was cut from the same digital cloth, it definitely helps to have your film stand out on a visual standpoint.

THE BOOK OF LIFE, featuring the vocal talents of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Danny Trejo, Ron Perlman, and Christina Applegate, hits theaters October 17, 2014.

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