Review: THE BOOK OF LIFE

THE BOOK OF LIFE  (ANIMATED-MUSICAL/FANTASY)
2.5 out of 4 stars
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
Featuring the Voices of: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Carlos Alazraqui
Rated PG for mild action, rude humor, some thematic elements and brief scary images.
95 minutes
Verdict:  This colorful fantasy offers a great opportunity to educate young audiences on Mesoamerican folk culture, but is a mixed bag for entertaining more discerning viewers.
YOU MAY ENJOY THE BOOK OF LIFE IF YOU ENJOYED:
CORPSE BRIDE  (2005)
SPY KIDS  (2001)
PUSS IN BOOTS  (2011)
BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA  (2008)
BEETLEJUICE  (1988)

There are Christmas movies, Halloween movies, and if you're desperate, you can even find an Easter movie, but until recently, the market for Dia de Muertos, "Day of the Dead" in English, has been decidedly void.  Jorge Gutierrez, best known as the co-creator of the Nickelodeon animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, has filled in that demand with THE BOOK OF LIFE (beating Pixar, which announced a Day of the Dead-themed film a couple years back, to the punch).  Produced by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro through Reel FX Creative Studios, the studio behind last year's dimwitted Thanksgiving-themed film FREE BIRDS, THE BOOK OF LIFE is a mixed bag, flaunting a very loud personality that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
Taking a group of detention students on a special tour of the museum, a tour guide (voiced by Christina Applegate) shows to them the "Book of Life", wherein is contained every story of the world, and tells them the story of a special Day of the Dead.  Every year in Mexico, festivities are held to remember loved ones passed on, and as long as their ancestors are remembered, their spirits live on in the festive Land of the Remembered, ruled over by the benevolent La Muerte (voiced by Kate del Castillo).  Those spirits that are forgotten languish in the Land of the Forgotten, ruled by the trickster Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman).  Loathsome of his unpleasant charge, Xibalba convinces La Muerte to take a wager; looking down on the Land of the Living, as two boys vie for the attentions of a girl, so each claim a boy as their champion, and the one whose champion claims the girl's heart in marriage will rule the Land of the Remembered.  The two boys grow up, Manolo Sanchez (voiced by Diego Luna) to be a bullfighter in the tradition of his fathers, though he secretly yearns to be a musician, and Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) to be a revered hero and soldier, and both still compete to win the affection of Maria Posado (voiced by Zoe Saldana), "the jewel of the town".  But when Xibalba sees Maria leaning toward Manolo, he turns to trickery, sending Manolo to the Land of the Remembered, where he's reunited with his deceased loved ones, as they try to help him get back to the Land of the Living and Maria.
It's a great opportunity to open children up to Mexican folk culture, filled with many characters from and references to folklore that blends Mayan and Aztec traditions with Catholicism, such as Xibalba, the name of the underworld in ancient Mayan religion, and La Muerte, a folk saint known in English as "Our Lady of Death", the unofficial patron saint of marginalized groups, such as the impoverished, LGBT persons and prostitutes (conservative parents needn't worry, the film is hardly so specific).  The visual designs of the film are distinct, intended by Gutierrez to adhere as closely as possible to the paintings of concept art that one might find in an "Art of" book, and that is an apt description.
THE BOOK OF LIFE is ideal for most children, no scarier than all but a few children can easily handle, inoffensive, musical and colorful, visually and in personality, with good messages.  For discerning, more mature viewers, it plays very well when it plays straight and/or whimsical, such as some enthralling scenes in the bullfighting arena or charming musical segments.  When it aims for wackiness, it frequently falls flat; most of the film's humor ranges from tolerable to awkward.  The notable exception is Tatum's voice-work as Joaquin, where he shows his comedic chops translate to a non-physical medium, and Ice Cube, as the "Candle Maker", is better than you'd expect.
It's a big, brassy diversion of a film, pleasant enough to join in on with the kiddies, and even an educational opportunity, but it's uneven and discerning audiences may feel a little shortchanged.