Animation is a big part of the Hollywood machine these days, with most of the studios trying to compete with Disney for a share in the market. With DreamWorks Animation’s success rate slowing, there has been room for more unique indie productions to break through. While The Book of Life was backed by major studio 20th Century Fox, it is a Reel FX production and low-budget at that.
The Book of Life, screened on Monday during the Savannah Film Festival, is a rarity among animation features, since it is a very personal story for its director, Jorge Gutierrez. He spent 14 years trying to get the film made and had been approached by other studios. But they wanted to make changes and he couldn’t stand for that.
He successfully brought to life a story close to his heart. It centers on Mexico’s Day of the Dead, with Manolo (Diego Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) hoping to woo their childhood friend Maria (Zoe Saldana). Their love triangle captures the interest of two gods - the queen of the Land of the Remembered, La Muerte (Kate Del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), the king of the Land of the Forgotten - and they bet on who will win Maria’s heart.
While the film is from the mind of Guitierrez, it would never have happened without producer Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) and his support.
“He was on it for at least five years, but he found it already conceived,” Gutierrez explained in an interview after the screening. “...Then I got to collaborate with him on a lot of stuff and I got to send him a lot of designs, send him script pages and go, ‘What do you think?’
“In the beginning, our relationship wasn’t very good, because I would just agree with him on everything!” the director continued. “Whenever I would show him stuff, I would see Pan’s Labyrinth behind him... That’s such a landmark film for me.... I couldn’t imagine him giving me any bad advice. So one time, he threw in a bad suggestion just to test us and I said, ‘I don’t think this is a good idea!’ He hit me and said, ‘See! Now we’re collaborating.’”
As for the story itself, Gutierrez explained during a post-screening Q&A with the audience that he felt emotion came first, then story and finally comedy. He feels that every story has been told, so you have to mix it up. By putting emotion first, you also bring your own life experiences into it.
In the interview with Gutierrez, the theme of how personal the film was kept coming up. It’s impossible to ignore how he was able to take his own background, growing up in a Mexican family with the traditions of the Day of the Dead, and still make a film that can be universally appreciated by audiences. His biggest key was able to see the film through from start to finish.
“The way [making animated films] usually works is that [the studios] option an idea and they hire a director. They hire a producer and they hire a writer. They tell them what to do and if it’s not working, they fire the writer, then they fire the director and they bring in more people! So these movies become almost like assembly line.”
And the movie isn’t just a tribute to Mexican culture, but a tribute to Gutierrez's beloved animation medium. He spoke passionately about how he was influenced by the Disney Renaissance films growing up, as well as the Disney classics. He also mentioned that the film itself is a trip through animation history, as he mixed elements from anime and even brought in video game ideas.
One other element that was key to the film was its voice cast. Gutierrez said it was the largest Hispanic voice cast ever brought together for an animated film. However, they brought in Channing Tatum to voice Joaquin to make sure it was known that this is a movie for everyone. While you hear horror stories about actors being prima donnas, Tatum was the opposite, even taking a mostly secondary role. After all, he doesn’t get the girl.
“By bringing in people from all over the world, you tell the audience, ‘Hey, it’s for everybody,’” Gutierrez said.
If you see The Book of Life and are hoping for more, Gutierrez said that he had hoped to make a trilogy, so you never know. Monolo’s journey may have just started.
You can check out our previous coverage from the Savannah Film Festival, including Matt Bomer's award and reviews of The Homesman, Big Hero 6 and Foxcatcher.
image of Savannah’s Trustees Theater by Daniel S Levine
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