Story is set in Mexican holiday «Dia de Los Muertos».
Producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez explain the making of one of the most anticipated films of the year.
This article was originally published in Musica Roots magazine (click here).
It is one of the most anticipated films of the year. Featuring cutting-edge art design, The Book of Life is an animation movie set on the Mexican festivity Día de Los Muertos, which is the same date that United States celebrates Halloween. October 31st is also the date of the movie opening.
The Book of Life tells the story of two best friends that fall in love of the same woman. Then two ancient spirits gamble on whom of them will win the muse’s heart. Angered by the possible result, the evil spirit set up a trap that sends one of the boys to the underworld. How will he be alive again to meet his lady? (Watch trailer at the end of the article).
The cast of the movie includes Diego Luna (as Joaquin), Channing Tatum (as Joaquin), Zoe Zaldana (as Maria), Christina Applegate (as Mary Beth), Ice Cube (as the Candle Maker), Kate del Castillo (as La Muerte) and Ron Perlman (as Xibalba).
The movie was produced by multi-awarded film maker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Laberynth, The Devil’s Backbone), and directed by Jorge Gutierrez, a Mexican colleague that has worked for a long time in animation (for Sony, Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon). Both introduced the film to the press at Fox Studios, who are distributing the movie.
A Fantasy World to Portrait Real World Emotions
The Book of Life features 3D animation, that recreates wooden figures, like old toys. “The audience feels like the character, like they are in that world (…) We made the 3D in the movie very narrative-driven. And by the way the movie looks, it is almost like a baroque painting – the 3D really let’s you go into the painting,” director Jorge Gutierrez stated.
The original idea of the art design can be found in Gutierrez’ “Carmelo” short (watch video at the end of the article). “There is a long history of wooden characters in animation, as Pinocchio (…) And I had a short, that was the first time I went into that idea. You get away from guns, from all of those things, and make magic realism,” Gutierrez explained.
The Book of Life really stands out as a scenario of what we are used to see in Hollywood animation – mixing traditional Mexican and Latin American costumes and colors into this Dia de Los Muertos set. This blend of horror and emotional fantasy has been Guillermo del Toro predilect ground during his career. Del Toro explained that while Hollywood animation is mostly for an infant audience, in other countries (as Japan, for example), animations are crafted for a broader audience.
The producer also indicated that they wanted to film “an adventure that is not only an action adventure”, but also a very emotive odissey. “Because we live in a world that is so cynical, that is hard to believe in emotions (…) it sound inmediately corny (…) We wanted to make not only a journey through a world of fantasy, but a journey of emotions,” says Del Toro, adding that the movie “celebrates family and the idea of family, and it is a journey of self-discovery.”
A Love Story in Times of Cholera
“It really unites the generations when it screens. You see the grandparents talking to the kids. You see the kids wanting to talk to their grandparents on the way out, and that’s a great triumph. It celebrates the fact that we are who we are because the people that were here before us,” Del Toro said.
The Book of Life is indeed a movie that has multi-cultural (inserting Latin culture into mainstream Hollywood) and also cross-generation elements. “Across the borders, across the languages. Doesn’t matter where you screen it, you always get the same emotion,” Del Toro declared.
In times where an important segment of the American audience is divided by politics, this could be the kind of art that brings people together. We ask the movie director about this:
Musica Roots: There are thousands of immigrant kids that are currently taking a long journey, an extreme odissey through the underworld, even facing death, to cross a border. This is very similar to the plot of the movie. What are your thoughts about this humanitarian crisis?
Jorge Gutierrez: What it is happening to the kids is a tragedy. This movie indirectly talks about that, about crossing borders and moving on. Hijole, it is a very complicated question, something very political. As a Mexican immigrant, I crossed the border to be in the Unites States – my heart breaks when I see those images.
Musica Roots: How can this film help to overcome the cultural challenges that continue to divide this country?
Jorge Gutierrez: Maybe it can open the eyes of conservative Americans, so they can see their southern neighbors from a different perspective. And to see that they are hard workers and honest people, that they are bringing good things. They are not here to steal or to do bad things. That is the only thing that we can expect –to open people’s minds”.
Trailers of The Book of Life (opening October 31st):
“Carmelo” short, by Jorge Gutierrez (2001):
Carmelo from Jorge R. Gutierrez on Vimeo.
