They’re in theory antagonists yet are in love with each other. While the love triangle between Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin is the film’s primary focus, the relationship between La Muerte and Xibalba is the far more interesting one. (The Land of the Remembered sequence alone is, no pun intended, unforgettable.) Managing to be simultaneously dark and vividly colorful, the movie’s handcrafted-looking “wooden” protagonists and its three different realms help differentiate it from the slew of other CG-animated fare out there. A major film release actually worth seeing in 3D, The Book of Life is one of the most visually stunning and sumptuously executed animated movies in recent memory. The movie is bookended by a field trip to a museum by a group of detention-worthy kids where their lovely tour guide (voiced by Christina Applegate) relates the story of the movie to them while also giving them (and the audience) a lesson in Mexican traditions. Manolo’s attempts to win Maria’s heart and hand in marriage ultimately leads to a fantastical journey into the Land of the Remembered, encounters with his ancestors, and valuable if textbook lessons learned by all. Maria, meanwhile, is no wilting flower waiting to find a husband having been raised to know kung fu (because that’s what was apparently taught in convents in the 19th century). Macho man and town protector Joaquin has his own set of daddy issues, having grown up in the shadow of his fallen military hero dad. Manolo, who wants to be a singer, hails from a long line of famous bullfighters, but he’s proving to be a disappointment in that regard to his father as he refuses to slay the bull.
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