The Book of Life

This movie is honestly one of those animated films that looks just as good the tenth time you watch it as it does the first. The colors are incredibly vibrant, the animation style is unique, and the story pulls you in with a mix of humor, heart, and emotional depth. On Blu ray, the visuals really stand out, making all the detail and design feel even more immersive. What makes it memorable is how it balances fun storytelling with a deeper message about love, family, and choices. It is entertaining for kids but still has moments that hit differently as an adult, which makes it easy to revisit over and over. Girl, this is one of those movies that you think you are just putting on for background noise and suddenly you are fully invested again like it is your first time watching it.

Jorge Gutierrez (and his wife Sandra) are two of my favorite artists, so my review may be a bit biased. In any case, this is a beautiful movie that is worth seeing. Some people say it is boring or morbid, but it's really neither of these things. Perhaps for someone who can't sit still it would take some work to really catch everything that's going on, but this movie is certainly far from boring. As for morbid, this story handles the theme of the underworld just like The Corpse Bride or an array of childern's Halloween movies and it isn't gory, gross, or really morbid at all. In fact, the underworld is shown as a colorful, happy place. This is a good story to expose your child (and yourself) to how death and the underworld are viewed in different cultures and to learn about the customs. I can't say there are any negatives to the story other than it moves a bit fast, so if you aren't paying attention to it, you can miss a lot of important information, and there is a sort of mash-up mix happening between Spanish(the bull fighting theme) and Mexican cultures. If you aren't familiar with Jorge Gutierrez's art style (like his previous show El Tigre) the art can be a bit confusing, but once you become used to this created world then you can appreciate the beauty in design. This is a wonderful, colorful, beautiful story which also includes some of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in an animated feature. Definitely worth watching, multiple times even.

This is a great movie for so many reasons. First of all, it’s visually stunning in a way that most animated movies rarely attempt. Secondly, it’s just wacky and twisted enough to rise above the typical animated movie, something Pixar knows well, but in this case, the audience is decidedly older (hence the PG rating and the descriptive warning within the rating). Yes, there are adult themes of death, albeit in the fanciful sugar-skull-centric fashion of the glorious holiday Día de los Muertos. Nonetheless, this is not a movie for very young children but, I do think that tweens and up will find it captivating, and it’s good to see that the people who put this surreal dream together were up for making an animated movie that wasn’t so predictable and hackneyed. Lastly, it walks a delicate line between reverence and satire, dark comedy and enchanting romance, Guillermo de Toro and Walt Disney. Not bad for a “cartoon.” Part Rango, part Ren and Stimpy, and part folklore, The Book of Life is a sly, eye-popping, tongue-in-cheek, whimsical tale of love, friendship, and tradition that is a treat for the mind, the heart, and the imagination. While I’d like to see some improvements made in tightening things up, a more involved storyline, and a better sense of music, The Book of Life is still a gorgeous movie that joyfully shatters the Disney/Pixar bubble.

Me and my little siblings loved this movie. I especially love the story that is at least partially based on actual Mexican folklore. It was very colorful and seemed bursting with life, especially in the land of the remembered. It was supposed to be an 'afterlife' type place but was a lot of fun. It is about forgiveness and that you don't always have to live the life expected of you, it is perfectly fine to write your own story. Also, Manolo and Joaquin live trying to be as good at certain things as their ancestors. Manolo can't be a guitarrista because it is not 'manly' and music isn't 'what Sanchez men do'. This happens a lot nowadays, and I found this movie to be largely inspiring. Xibalba was a fine example of all you shouldn't be, lying and cheating. But La Muerte was a good example of who you should be. Forgiving. It was an overall cheerful movie but that doesn't mean the characters lived without hardships. Manolo's journey to find La Muerte could have been a little longer and slightly harder, but it flows and fits well. If you are not very fond of cheery movies and musicals, this isn't the movie for you. But if you love colors and songs, and story-type movies, then this is a fit for you.

I have the movie on dvd but had no dvd player. Liked the movie enough to buy it again

Very good and great music

This movie wasn't that bad... I had never heard of it before seeing a preview so I guess those things still work! ;) It's a love story and involves the Day of the Dead. Depending on the child, they may get scared of some of the characters. I liked the look in the movie. The colors are very vibrant and the characters are so different it was hard to look away. The story itself was a little boring, but the colors and all the things to look at kind of make up for the slower pace. I do not always agree with the majority on movies... and this movie can easily be disliked by people. There were probably things in the movie that I didn't like but overall it was entertaining and we got it cheap enough that it was worth purchasing to me. However, I am not sure this will be one that we will watch over and over again so some people may want to rent it instead. It IS a decent movie... but it is also very different than other movies with animation so it may be disliked by some!

Received it in great shape! Also a beautiful movie. It’s a love story and my kids have loved it since it came out in 2014. They both are now 12 & 16 and still enjoys watching this movie.

Very nice

A good way to spend time away from the world.

皆さんが感想を述べているように、この作品はブルーレイで見ると、より素晴らしく感じると思います。 3Dも良かったですよ。何故、日本ではDVDのみの発売なのか?

we loved this film and it has been watched many times. The colours explode on the screen as anything day of the dead should. It has a great story line for both young and old making it an enjoyable family watch. The tunes are pleasant it also has the required amount of humour suspense and tears with a wonderful ending. It gives a small insight into Mexican culture and has become my daughters firm favourite go to on a rainy day. Well worth the watch

I really like this film, watched it with the kids 2 nights ago and usually while watching a kids movie I kinda switch off half way through. The Book of Life is a little different to the norm, the story is good and the bright and colourful artwork kept me engaged. Plenty of laugh out loud moments and great characters . Although we watched it in 2D I will be definitely watching it in 3D very soon.. When the film had finished it didn't feel like it had been on for long..probably as the pace of the movie was fast moving..great movie for all ages.