20th Century Fox has released the first The Book of Life images for the upcoming Guillermo del Toro-produced animated feature inspired by the Mexican holiday “Dia de los Muertos” (aka “Day of the Dead”). Directed by Jorge Gutierrez, the film revolves around three childhood friends—Manolo (Diego Luna), Maria (Zoe Saldana), and Joaquin (Channing Tatum)—who find themselves in a love triangle as the gods wager on who will win Maria’s heart. Manolo is the central character of the story, as he dreams of breaking his family tradition of bullfighting to become a guitar player. Over the course of the fantastical story, audiences are taken to The Land of the Living, the Land of the Remembered, and the Land of the Forgotten as Manolo seeks to live a complete and fulfilling life that is remembered by the living. Promising stuff, especially with del Toro involved.
Hit the jump to check out the Book of Life images. The film also features the voices of Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Ice Cube, and Placido Domingo. The Book of Life opens in 3D on October 17th.
Read more at BOOK OF LIFE Images: Guillermo del Toro's Animated Day of the Dead Pic
It's true that the film does lull in the middle, with a slightly repetitive quality that may be a deliberate attempt to show Kaguya's captivity, but that doesn't make it less watchable. It's a film about tone as much as anything, and the gorgeous, pastoral quality of the work here has lingered long past the film's ending. Not being a brand name in the same way, Takahata's film won't reach the same kind of audience as "The Wind Rises," but animation fans, and basically anyone else, will find something rich and rewarding if they do check it out. [A-]
Finally, if you were hoping for more Benny and space stuff in the sequel, you’ll be pleased to read the following:
MILLER: A couple people are like, “You know, it might be nice if you spent some time in space…You know, Benny’s great and his spaceship is great, but…”
LORD: They don’t understand how hard it was for us to convince the LEGO folks to revive that stuff.
MILLER: It was a personal thing for us.
LORD: Yeah, that’s what we played with growing up. I think we can look forward to more LEGO space stuff.
Everyone loves Benny.
MILLER: Charlie Day is a delight of a human being.
Can we confirm this is something you’re thinking about for the sequel?
MILLER: Oh, yeah.
LORD: Way more space stuff.
MILLER: This is the whole reason I loved LEGO in the first place.
Read more at LEGO Movie 2 News: Phil Lord and Chris Miller on What to Expect
How To Train Your Dragon 2 was just as great as the first one.
Not that "Planes: Fire and Rescue" is a perfect movie. It's much cruder than the Pixar films, both stylistically and in terms of humor (there are a ton of fart jokes) and for the excellence of the supporting cast (particularly Harris), Cook's vocal performance is shamefully lightweight (he was a last minute replacement for Jon Cryer). It's not exactly top tier animation, but it's damn close. Director Robert Gannaway stages the action nimbly, and Jeffrey M. Howard's script is wittier than it has any right to be (sample dialogue: "She left me for a hybrid. I didn't even hear it coming.") "Planes: Fire and Rescue" swoops in and pulls off some occasionally thrilling family entertainment, and in the dog days of summer, that can feel as refreshing as being doused with chilly lake water.