Fantasy master Guillermo del Toro's latest project is a cartoon about death that is fun for the whole family. Michele Manelis reports.
Despite its ghoulish backdrop celebrating Mexico's Day of the Dead, first-time feature director Jorge R. Gutierrez and producer Guillermo del Toro honour the mythology and folk art of their homeland in The Book of Life.
At first glance, the macabre subject matter may seem inappropriate for animated family fare, though its execution is a dazzling visual feast - injected with music and humour and voices of Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana - that overrides the darker themes of this multilayered story.
Del Toro, clearly fascinated by dark fantasy worlds (he conjured his own in previous projects - Pan's Labyrinth, the Hellboy franchise, and Pacific Rim) has an interesting take on the subject matter.
"The Day of the Dead is a celebration of life," he says. "You have to understand, Mexico doesn't have that dichotomy where it's life and death. To us, it's the same thing. What's the end of life? Death. And the relationship that Mexico has with death is, in many, many ways, very Eastern. We don't see it as a punishment or a terrible thing; we see it as part of the journey.
"You could say The Book of Life is the Mexican mariachi version of carpe diem. It's like, 'For f*** sake, live!' because, soon enough, you're not going to be here."
He continues, "I love it when people ask, 'What is the Day of the Dead?' and I tell them, 'It's about the lives that came before us, and the life that we have the responsibility to live'."
Gutierrez, who also co-wrote the script, concurs. "You can't have colour without the lack of colour. The Day of the Dead is the idea that as long as we talk about the ones who came before us, as long as we tell their stories, sing their songs, cook their favourite dishes, they're here with us. And the moment we don't say their names, don't talk about them, then they are really gone. That is the core of The Day of the Dead."
Budgeted at US$50 million ($66.8 million), the film has taken in US$97 million worldwide. It's a personal project for Gutierrez, he says,
"I got married on The Day of the Dead. It's especially dear to me because I wanted my best friend, who had passed away, to be my best man, so that was the day I knew he would show up, and I wanted my whole family to be there."
Gutierrez digs deep into his childhood memories to bring to life the film's distinctive look. "I love the iconography; the skull and sombrero. I love the wooden toys. There's a long tradition in Mexico of wooden toys and wooden sculptures. When I was a kid, I would love that these toys would age when I played with them. I loved Pinocchio growing up. Not just the Disney Pinocchio, but the original Pinocchio.
"So, it's a love letter to all those things."
Although the graphics of the movie have their own unique visual, the principal plot is as old as the hills: a love triangle between two suitors vying for the affections of a beautiful young girl.
Tatum voices Joaquin, the macho military hero, and Diego Luna is equally well cast as the sensitive Manolo, a reluctant bullfighter and wannabe musician. At the centre, between these love-sick rivals, is the headstrong Maria, voiced by Saldana.
Says Tatum: "When Jorge came to me and told me the story, I jumped at it right away. It seemed so punk rock to do a movie with this backdrop. And when they told me I was going to be able to have an amazing moustache in the movie, that was it.
Channing Tatum stars in The Book of Life.
"No, the truth of it is, I haven't gotten to play in this world before, and to be able to work with these artists of the highest ilk ... it's like working with a net, you almost can't do anything wrong," he says.
"And it's called animation for a reason - you try to be really animated even though you are not on screen, you try to bring a little heart to something you don't actually get to embody."
Del Toro says of the casting: "We wanted Joaquin to be like the high school quarterback, and we agreed that Channing was perfect. He has the swagger and the charm." Gutierrez adds, "When I first pitched it to Channing, he was really into it. But then he took me aside and said, 'Jorge, you know I'm not Mexican, right?'"
Music is an important component in the movie. The original score is by two-time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel), and hits such as Radiohead's Creep, Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait and Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? infused with a Mexican twist work effectively.
Del Toro says, "As for Diego, who had never sung before, our composer, Santaolalla, said, just like a doctor, 'Let me find out if Diego can sing'." Evidently, he can.
Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge R. Guitierrez.
Other cast members include Christina Applegate, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube, Hector Elizondo, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo and Gabriel Iglesias. One of the vocal highlights is Placido Domingo singing Cielito Lindo.
It's an impressive debut by Gutierrez, who received positive reviews and, to his credit, the film garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. "I'm very thankful to Guillermo," he says. "What other director of his status and reputation seeks out first-time directors like me and shepherds them? I always say he's the Mother Teresa of film-making. He takes all these orphans and raises them right."
Del Toro considers his friend's homage and says simply, "Viva la Mexico!"
