Guillermo del Toro is not a very prolific director, but he sure does like getting himself involved in an abundance of projects as a producer. He’s taken on the role of executive producer on such films as Puss In Boots, Rise Of The Guardians and last year’s Mama. This summer, we’ll see Del Toro take on television for the first time with The Strain, a show he co-created, which is set to air on FX. But his latest producing effort, The Book Of Life, seems to hit closer to home than any of those other efforts. This 3D computer-animated feature is very clearly influenced by the Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead, and if this trailer is any indication, we should be in for a real visual treat.
The film marks Jorge Gutierrez’s directorial debut. Though not a big name, Gutierrez previously co-created the animated show El Tigre: The Adventures Of Manny Rivera, which earned him an Emmy for his work, despite it only airing for one season. The Book Of Life appears to be Guiterrerz’s most ambitious effort to date, and it’s a project that he has been trying to get off the ground for many years now.
The plot follows a young man named Manolo, who is torn between pleasing his family and following his heart. He embarks on a journey that spans three fantastical worlds and forces him to face his greatest fears. Boasting a voice cast that includes Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo and Ron Perlman, the star power behind this animated film is just too hard to ignore.
While there are many promising aspects of this movie, especially from a visual standpoint and the talent involved, the story does seem a bit too simple, at least on the surface. Let’s hope there’s more to The Book Of Life than what initially meets the eye.
Check out the trailer below and be sure to catch the del Toro-produced film in theatres on October 17th.