Part of World of Animation
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 1:00 p.m.
Museum of the Moving Image – Redstone Theater

Dir. Jorge Gutiérrez. 2014, 95 mins. DCP. With Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Kate del Castillo, Ron Perlman. In The Book of Life, writer-director Gutiérrez (whose Maya and the Three debuts on Netflix soon) weaves the Day of the Dead holiday and the theme of love transcending death into the fabric of a lively musical comedy. Bullfighter Manolo (Luna), who would rather wield a guitar than a sword, yearns for his childhood crush Maria (Saldana), but must face off with the swaggering military hero Joaquin (Tatum) for her affection. What the three don’t know is that they are pawns in a wager between La Muerte and Xibalba, the immortal gods who rule the underworld. Funny, charming, and inspired by Mexican folklore, mythology, and pop culture, the fluidly CG-animated film features a score by Gustavo Santaolalla (Oscar-winning composer of Brokeback Mountain and Babel) and original songs co-written with the legendary Paul Williams, including “The Apology Song,” a ballad to all the bulls who ever died in the ring. Rated PG; recommended for ages 7+