The Book of Life

The Book of Life follows Manolo, a young man in a Mexican town who is pulled between what his family expects of him and what he wants for himself. His family intends for him to become a bullfighter, but he would rather play guitar, and he hopes to win the heart of Maria, a childhood friend who has returned home. His oldest friend, Joaquin, is his rival for her affection, and the two spirits La Muerte and Xibalba have wagered on how the triangle will end. Before Manolo settles on a path, he is drawn into a journey through three fantastic worlds, where he must confront his deepest fears. The story unfolds against the celebration of the Day of the Dead.

Jorge R. Gutierrez directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Doug Langdale. Guillermo del Toro was among the producers. The voice cast is led by Diego Luna as Manolo, Zoe Saldaña as Maria, Channing Tatum as Joaquin, Ron Perlman as Xibalba, Christina Applegate as Mary Beth and Ice Cube as Candle Maker, with 62 credited cast members and 208 credited crew. Reel FX Creative Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation and Chatrone produced the film, which runs 95 minutes.

Released in October 2014, the film cost 50 million USD and took 97 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.2/10 from 84,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.5/10 from 3,016 votes. A critics' rating of 6.9/10 from 125 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.