A Colorful and Spirited World
When The Book of Life first began to garner attention, and the previews began to be made available, the previews resembled a moving mural of Mexico \u2014 colorful, whimsical, and deeply emotional. People began to appreciate and admire the fact that this film sought to do what had not been successfully accomplished and what, traditionally, would be done with sadness. Instead, the people would be able to celebrate the holiday with lively instruments, candle-lighting, and dance that would integrate storytelling that would be greatly reminiscent of the dead.
Visually, the first previews were stunning and the animations were impressive, but the true essence of the film had yet to be subtly revealed. The film’s director \u2014 Jorge R. Gutiérez \u2014 had not set out to simply create an animated romance. Rather, he sought to incorporate his artistic skill set to construct a multi-dimensional animated film that showcases the love of creation and various dichotomous themes embedded within it such as love, loss, death, and the desire to live life to its fullest.
Behind the screen, Jorge was also preparing and getting ready to prove all of those people wrong, just like his character Manolo from his film.
Exploring the Worlds and the People Who wander Through Them
The narrative centers on the beautiful Sin Angel, where two old world spirits reside, La Muerte, who looks after the Land of the Rememebered, and Xibalba, who governs the Land of the Forgetten. Their wager on which take of the mortals, Manolo and Joaquín, will win María’s heart is merely a surface layer.
In a broad and more symbolic perspective, this wager touches on the larger struggle of holding on to something or letting it go, the fight of legacy vs erasure. This theme is innately understood by all children of Mexican ancestry, as well any culture with a rooted system to their ancestors. It is a theme we have always lived with, the idea of death is not horror. What is, is the idea of being forgotten.
Voiced by diego luna is Manolo, a character who is a daydreamer and lives a life caught between a family tradition of bullfighting and a passion for music. This is a reflection of Luna’s life, who for long battled the suggestion of stereotypical casting in Mexican cinema, who, in the bullfighting family, Luna’s Manolo character, cast a fight for a more developed and complex character.
Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Joaquín characterizes an expectation contrary to that of a decorated soldier. Joaquín displays patriotism on an extreme public level that fits the image of a ‘hero’ that the society idolizes. Tatum carried this burden himself. During that phase of his career, Tatum was attempting to shift away from high-action roles to character-rich films, attempting to break the ‘muscular guy’ stereotype. He brought an unexpected Joaquín warmth, filling in the bravado with a compliment to the character’s insecurities.
Then there is María. Zoe Saldaña was also rapidly rising in Hollywood at the time, known for her roles as strong, multi-faceted women in different franchises. María, just like Saldaña, wanted to avoid the fate of being a mere love interest or background character. On the contrary, her arc is about choosing compassion, and, in the end, it is about the new found freedom that comes from women taking control of the narrative, claiming their agency.
Hidden Symbolism in Every Frame
The Book of Life is truly unique in the richness of its sublayered symbolism.
- The Land of the Remembered:
This glowing afterlife is a gentle reminder that those in this realm are still remembered. This realm is a symbol of immortality through love and memory. The design is reminiscent of Mexican folk art, illustrating the belief that love keeps the dead alive. It features firelit skies, floating islands, and shimmering colors.
2 The Land of the Forgotten: A grey colorless land of the forgotten is a reminder of the erasure of those who are gone, neglected, and forgotten. This erasure warns of the culturally amnesiac and frightened who, like Gutiérrez, have family history rooted in the diasporic communities who have the same fears of losing their connection to the land and culture. 3 Manolo’s Music: Each of his songs is a challenge to the previous generation’s expectation. The guitar represents the self-chosen traditions of love and empathy, rather than the self. 4 The Bulls and Masks: The giant bull, a representation of Manolo’s fears, is also a representation of the toxic fear of masculinity and the defined rigidness of man. Breaking the bull is more than a plot point. It is a rejection of the violence of the patriarchy and the violence that is seen as a birthright.
Anticipating the Release: Fan Submitted Theories, Series Trailers, and Media Interviews
The moment the series trailers started to be released, fans started analyzing the video and composed numerous theories. Online discussions filled with:
- predictions regarding Manolo’s fate and the possibility of his death (a plot point teased in the trailer)
- discussions regarding the possibility of the gods’ wager and the manipulation of fate.
- comments filled with anticipation and speculation based on the diverse and modern instrumentation used throughout the trailer.
Hyping the anticipation of the fans, Diego Luna in one of the interviews stated, “This film makes you want to call your family,” which quickly became a widely circulated soundbite. Gutiérrez emotionally narrated a series of behind-the-scenes clips which became the soul of the film’s marketing as he honored his parents and his culture.
With overwhelming anticipation and excitement, fans expected a feast for the eyes. LAIKA did not disappoint.
Production Struggles: The Make of Dreams and Nightmares
Not many are aware of the struggles of the film’s production.
The Animation Style:
One of the major complications within this project included the construction of the characters presented as wooden puppets, and the need for their movements to be fluid and charismatic to the audience. This issue was rectified over the course of years as the animators were able to establish textures that were able to be both flexible and appear as though they had been intricately carved.
Casting Shifts:
Although other performers were being considered to voice the gods prior to the arrival of Ron Perlman (Xibalba) and Kate del Castillo (La Muerte), the energy deeply shifted to encompass what they were able to produce with their voices. This extraordinary partnership in voice acting became the linchpin of the godly narrative.
Music Battles:
The incorporation of the pop song “Creep” was at the time considered to be groundbreaking, and the merging of this song with Latin music was particularly innovative in her approach to music. This was very difficult as the music was based in Mexican folklore and had been popularized culturally, however, upon merging the music, Gutiérrez advocated passionately to embrace the music.
Studio Doubts:
Gutiérrez had experienced a dramatic turn in his fight to avoid the use of clichés when a story was considered to be “too culturally specific”. Ironically, the story-specific plot line had been developed to become a strong narrative within the story, and became a universal resonate theme.
When Art and Life Hold Hands
The Book of Life offers a reflection of the cast and their life stories, which aligns beautifully with the theme of the film and the deeply human nature of these stories.
Diego Luna and his identity struggles in Hollywood.
The balance of many cultures for Zoe Saldaña.
The breaking of stereotypes for Channing Tatum.
Gutiérrez and the honoring of his family and their history to which he would provide a narrative on a worldwide level.
Some films lack cohesion between fiction and reality, but not this film as actors and actresses literally lived their roles giving their performances an authenticity and emotional impact.
Some Stories the Studio Won’t Tell
There are a few silent stories the studio does not give much attention to, and these are the most famous:
- During a film pitch, Gutiérrez got emotional because it reminded him of his deceased father.
- Miniature ofrendas (altars) were kept by the animators on their desks throughout the production
- Early drafts of the concept art created a darker version of the Land of the Forgotten, later to be refused by the executives.
- A small internal conflict arose where some wanted María to be “less rebellious”; Gutiérrez declined.
- There were three revisions to the film’s ending in order to heighten the emotional impact and sense of adventure.
All these layers – cultural, emotional, symbolic, and personal – evoke The Book of Life to be more than the animated romance it was critiqued as. Rather, it was a living, breathing festivity of memory and identity, the celebration of resistance, and the indivisible connector of the past and present.
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