The Book of Life

Animation veteran Jorge R. Guiterrez makes his feature-length writing-directing debut with this colorful, cross-cultural story of love, death, and duty. A group of mischievous children touring a museum are told by their guide (voiced by Christina Applegate) a legend about Mexico's fabled Day of the Dead. Two skeletal spirits—La Muerta (Kate del Castillo), the gentle Queen of the Land of the Remembered, and her grim husband, Xibalba (Ron Perlman), the manipulative ruler of the Land of the Forgotten—made a wager. If the strutting, self-absorbed warrior Joaquín (Channing Tatum) can win the hand of the lovely Maria (Zoe Saldana) in the fantastical town of San Angel, Xibalba can usurp La Muerta's kingdom, but if Joaquin's sensitive friend Manolo (Diego Luna), who was born into a family of matadors but yearns to be a musician, instead claims her heart, the bet will be won by La Muerta, and Xibalba must stop meddling in the lives of humans. The Book of Life is an overly-ambitious adventure about the afterlife with dazzling visuals (inspired by Mexican folk art, the computer-generated, mythological characters resemble handcrafted wooden dolls), but a familiar, formulaic story that is crowded with far too many disparate characters, including the Candle Maker (Ice Cube), the metallic monster Chakal (Dan Navarro), and caustic Grandma (Grey Griffin). Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Jorge R. Gutierrez, “The Adventures of Chuy” animated short (3 min.), a “Music Machine” musical highlights reel, the music video for “No Matter Where You Are” by Us the Duo, five art galleries, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “Digital Carpenters” Reel FX behind-the-scenes featurette (11 min.), a “Closer Look” making-of featurette (10 min.), “The Music of Life” soundtrack segment (9 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an eye-popping animated film.] (S. Granger)