How The Book of Life Subverts Expectations for the Better

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What can I say? Book of Life, Book of Death!
Twitter: / braxtonjs
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First half edited by: / mrcakedragonman

[@JustStop]

To try Shudder free for 30 days, go to shudder.com/ and use promo code juststop

[@milktea6676]

This is so weird because I actually watched book of life in theatres

[@kyotheman69]

this is cool celebration, in china they would have heart attack seeing this event, since they ban all death related things

[@SnubMacaroon]

Ok

[@NamebeDale_592]

Hey just so you guys know there's like a series prequel called the Maya and the three, Three of the gods are actually spotted the candle man, the Festival lady, and the seal skeleton Man but the coolest hat.

[@SnubMacaroon]

@@NamebeDale_592 I’m confused

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

This movie is so underrated, it’s a shame it got overshadowed by Coco

[@itsblitz4437]

And This movie was way before CoCo came! I guess it really comes down to name b recognition.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@itsblitz4437 I mean both are great movies don’t get me wrong, but Book of Life is insanely underrated

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

@@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375 , even before the controversies surrounding Coco I’ve always praised The Book of Life more than Coco, and I’m always going to praise The Book of Life more than Coco even if Disney goes under complete bankruptcy.

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

@@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr Wait, what controversies?

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

@@reptiliannoizezz.413 , Disney tried trademarking Day of the Dead unlike Fox Entertainment whenever they made The Book of Life, and Disney tried trademarking Day of the Dead whenever Coco was outselling The Book of Life.

[@TheDigitalApple]

I’m glad this and “Megamind” are getting recognition for the past few years for the masterpieces they are!

[@silashurd3597]

I agree

[@imwastedhere]

Yeah i remember nobody talk about the book of life when it came out

[@bloatedcow1361]

ANd If yOu CaN fORGivE, LOve cAn tRUly liVe aNd If YoU cAn forgive, aNd if YOu cAn FoRgIve, LoVe CaN TrUlly LIve 😬

[@doodlehobbo8697]

Megamind was getting reminded and recognized because of the Memes

[@drdoot6194]

True

[@momoko6917]

Fun fact:" la catrina" originally didn't represent the tradition of the Day of the Dead, it was a political cartoon to criticize the situation in Mexico at that time (Basically classism ) The creator Guadalupe posada wanted her to represent how Mexicans tried to feel European while hiding their indigenous roots, That's why her original name was "la calavera garbancera"

[@momoko6917]

Por cierto , la celebración del día *de* muertos es patrimonio de la humanidad

[@andresbarragan7212]

@@momoko6917 and the food and music

[@momoko6917]

@@andresbarragan7212 viva México

[@mrnobody7217]

@@momoko6917 Y VIVA LOS MALDITOS TACOS DE CARNE ASADA A LA VUELTA PORQUE ESTAN BIEN BUENOS

[@momoko6917]

@@mrnobody7217 por dónde vivo hay como 2 puestos a la esquina

[@sanddry738]

One thing I absolutely love is Xibalba and La Muerte’s relationship. They’re a canonically married couple! It isn’t just “evil underworld dude wants to take over good land”, but rather two slightly estranged gods falling for each other’s charms and love of betting again with beautiful animation and a fun story with great characters. Great taking stereotypes and beautifully dancing around them. Absolutely recommend seeing this movie if you haven’t seen it!

[@Monochrome2004]

actually love that, all of this was basically the two of them fucking around a bit

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Saying that _Book of Life_ is a rip-off of Pixar's _Coco_ because both films takes place in the "Day of the Dead" (Dia De Los Muertos) is like someone saying that the Christmas movie is a rip-off of an another Christmas movie. They are both great in terms of style, culture, and charm, but calling it a "rip-off" sounds like a bit of a stretch. *Edit:* I forgot to mention that _Book of Life_ was released BEFORE _Coco._ So, I would added that.

[@itspienoon7883]

Or the fact it came BEFORE Coco, so that opinion would make no sense....

[@AscendantStoic]

Book of Life came before Coco, so it's the other way around, also the similarities go beyond just taking place during the Day of the Dead, certain story beats are quite similar (like the main character getting trapped in the underworld, or their family being against them choosing a career in music ..etc)

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

People said the reverse though, because Book of Life came out first. Still dumb either way

[@karlazeen]

Both movies have something to do with a passion for music however they tell them differently.

[@cam4636]

This. Also are we gonna talk about how you can make a thousand Charles Dickens-style Christmas movies but having two Dia de Muertos movies set in Mexico makes white people scream "rip-off"

[@logansymmes2193]

In my opinion the strongest thing about the movie is the animation. It's so pretty and unique, I love it.

[@silashurd3597]

One of the best animation of the 2010s (Said a reviewer and I agree as well)

[@benpark5074]

Did you mean the Character designs? If so, I wholeheartedly agree. The animation quality of BoL isn’t something too write home about.

[@Nooby.]

@@benpark5074 what do you mean?

[@urgae9125]

@@Nooby. They’re speaking specifically about the technical standpoint, which I’d like as well for them to elaborate, as I don’t see much other than the film becoming slowly dated, but not nearly as bad as most blockbusters going to be specifically as realistic as possible. It’s like an evolved form of Toy Story, where characters are very fluid/rag dolly with their motions, but that’s also in point because of Mr. Gutiérrez’s art style. Looking back at El Tigre’s animation, and this, it’s just how he does it.

[@AbMaSync]

Actually, the apology song had a great impact on me since it was and still is the most direct reference in media to the pain inflicted to bulls, and a very clear plea (to me at least) to stop

[@DororoXPenana]

It is such a beautiful song. When I first heard it, I teared up. The way the bull calms down and just had a look of softness as it is lulled to an overdue peaceful sleep. I hope the "sport" of bull fighting has died down over the years, bulls don't deserve that kind of treatment for others entertainment 😭 💔.

[@AbMaSync]

@@DororoXPenana It has definitely been slowing down, specially with the pandemic, but if you know these places, a word you can define them as is stubborn, sadly, it is still going on. Let's hope it's just a matter of time.

[@SirBlackReeds]

That's only the surface level. The deeper meaning is that it's Manolo's apology to his father. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Bullrog materializes after his father shows up? Also, keep in mind that not all of them bull are killed. Depending on where you are, the fight may end with the bull exhausted. It's also worth pointing out that the bulls are born and bred for bullfighting as opposed to being picked out of a hat.

[@AbMaSync]

@@SirBlackReeds ? What does he have to apologize for? Not wanting to fight bulls?

[@thecomentingcat6280]

@@DororoXPenana Bull fighting it mostly banned. These days the sport has evolved into stealing rings fixed onto the bulls face instead of stabbing it.

[@SoggyHotDoggy]

“I’m 17” Dude you’ve sounded like a grown ass man since you were like 15, good God

[@cherie..cherry]

😂😂😂

[@bluewolf6323]

Two things I love about movie! One, although Manolo and Joqauin are fighting for Maria, they never outright fight until Joqauin is pressured into marrying Maria. They are still great friends who just happen to be fighting for the same girl with different approaches. Two, I love how they made Maria basically a neutralizer without it being too "oh no, quit fighting over me". Also, love the subtle way she loves her friends. When Joquain is showing off and being macho, she laughs at him because that's how he's always been, the show off type, but as soon as Joquain shows his serious, forced to be side of you wanting to marry her for a selfish reason, Maria's father sucks, she is not having fun anymore and gets sad.

[@user-lt8lu7qg7t]

joaquin

[@kaylagirl1611]

Not exaggerating when I say I adore the fact Joaquin and Manolo stay friends throughout the entire movie. Their spat over Maria doesn't end their friendship, they call each other brother, Jaoquin mourns when it appears Manolo died and both nearly die for each other (Manolo by collapsing the bell, intending on taking down Chakal at the expense of himself, but not before shoving Joaquin out of the way with a simple ''Adios brother'' (which absolutely wrecks me like you would not believe) and Joaquin by giving him the medal, which very well could've killed Joaquin and ended with him losing an eye)

[@purplehaze2358]

“That’s why I’m 17 and still go out trick-or-treating in costume” That’s so relatable for me.

[@erikwagner6050]

*gasp!* I’m 17 and gonna go trick or treating this year!

[@starrikiru]

@@erikwagner6050 Same!!!

[@ricardobautista-garcia8492]

Do you go as Dr Gears?

[@caileyrookids]

Lucky My sister's not even a teen and already is "too old."

[@silashurd3597]

I’m 19 and was Mario last Halloween 😎

[@alyssamay9237]

The face at 8:25 is why I loved Joaquin. He's generally upset about Maria not marrying him for love, which is what he wanted. He didn't want to marry Maria because of her lineage or beauty, but because he truly loved her. He respected her choice because he respected her and wanted her to be happy

[@magnificloud]

I watched the shit out of this movie when I was younger, I think I've watched it 19 times total? Its the only jukebox musical that I unironically enjoy. You could believe that these songs were made for the movie and the character design of both BOL and Maya are just so stunning, exaggerative and creative. The aesthetic of this movie is captivating, and I love studying the visual development of everything there. Jorge R. Gutierrez is a fricken genius.

[@magnificloud]

Wait im like 2 minutes in and I feel so validated I've always avoided films that went heavy on liar-reveal plots (even before I knew what they were or why they sucked so much) which is likely a big reason that I prefer BOL to Coco, as well as BOL being far more straight-forward and focused than Coco that feels kind of loaded at times.

[@bluewolf6323]

Apparently, the jukebox songs are the kids putting them in! If that's true, then that's just fun...

[@Celeryleven-Oreo]

Dude when I was much younger I watched it every single day. Not a single one missed

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

Seeing the El Tigre artstyle in 3D was what attracted me to this movie back then, loved that show

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

@@LeopoldLitchenstein , I’ve never watched El Tigre growing up from childhood to now, but I thought that the animation used in The Book of Life looked more like CGI version of the Machua Luchua cartoon series.

[@fallingneptune3798]

I also find it cool how book of life + all the other creators works are in a universe with each other. Maya and the three and el tigre both connecting to this movie is just straight up cool to me

[@supermaximusfagetti9836]

Wait it's not just an artstyle? Fuckin baller.

[@dickbuns3023]

seeing el tigre in the first 5 seconds made me feel fuzzy

[@markx2231]

Wait a minute? El Tigre is actually connected to this? Now I gotta rewatch this to confirm it. I thought that was something my child mind made up.

[@TheSpencermacdougall]

I knew maya and this were connected (I recognized the deitys from this movie in the wedding flashback in Maya) but el Tigre too? That's cool.

[@legometaworld2728]

Jorge was also gonna make a LEGO Movie spin-off, it would’ve been so cool if he extended his connected universe into that.

[@anneliesedueck3148]

One of the reasons I liked this movie so much was because of the apology song and the scene that exists alongside it. What a lot of other films would've done in that scene was make Manolo kill the bull as the finale of his character arc, like this whole time he was afraid of killing it and now he was finally strong enough to deliver the finale blow, but he was kept true to his character, and his big moment was...apologizing. It was just a really beautiful moment to see and also caught me off guard, because that's not the road that's taken most of the time. Also the bull turned into flower petals. That was beautiful.

[@officialmai]

Specifically cempasúchil, or the Mexican marigold, a symbol of DOTD.

[@PaintSplashProductions]

I really like Coco but I definitely think Book of Life is so underrated. I love the art style and that they all look like wooden dolls to help show you that it’s a story being told

[@JDoodles]

I absolutely adore The Book of Life, at the time it was the only movie that accurately and beautifully portrayed my culture in a fun way. My favorite song is the apology song, it just hits so deep and really shows how he's sticking to his nature and who he is, simple but impactful. I love Coco too, it was beautiful and made me cry. But The Book of Life will always have the #1 spot in my heart

[@rockmation717]

I thought Coco was first. 😏

[@williamsmith6921]

@@rockmation717 is this like cross platform emoji disconnect because it seems entirely out of place from what this comment says

[@natalia-atrix-moreno7702]

Amén

[@eddie-roo]

I don't think "accurately" is the best descriptor

[@ididntaskverified3663]

are u mexican in mexico right now? or some 3rd generation colombian 💀

[@rusoazul945]

What's funny is that my Spanish class forced me to watch this movie, and conveniently here you are with a review like a week later lmao

[@itsblitz4437]

I need to take a Spanish class.

[@LeopoldLitchenstein]

I'd love that Spanish class but this movie came out after I had finished the required years for a second language

[@Gloomy_Ghost_Grave]

Same though I just watched it in my Spanish class a week ago

[@cupio-stardust]

My social studies class made us watch this movie, instead of being upset everyone started cheering.

[@odette6761]

My friend's Spanish class also made his class watch it 🤨

[@bearlyalive9669]

My favorite part of the movie was definitely The Apology Song, it speaks so much more than the lyrics and actually ties in with the story since Manolo grew up being told that a “Sanchez man never apologizes.” So by apologizing on behalf of his family to the many bulls that had lost their lives to them, he had won the heart of Toro who evidently forgives his bloodline and let’s go of all the vengeance the bulls had as one

[@keybladeoverlord]

Another cool thing about this movie is the fact it is actually tied to the lore of El Tigre as well. Not only do Manny, Frida, and Puma Loco have cameos in the beginning of the film, but the creator actually made up a lot of lore relating to the film and El Tigre's connection, such as one of La Muerte and Xibalba's children being Sartana of the Dead from El Tigre and that Xibalba is waiting for Puma Loco to die to personally give him a fate worse than death for breaking his daughter's heart.

[@sarmeister1699]

... I am so invested in this... I need to know more!!!

[@PringlesTheMonkeyKing]

You know for the longest time I actually wondered if this movie actually existed. I saw it in cinemas with my family when it came out but nobody talked about it. All I heard and saw was about a film that looked very similar; especially with the whole dead people and skeletons thing. I saw enough adverts about the other film to know that it was not the film I remembered seeing but because I saw absolutely nothing about the Book of Life since I had watched it, I started to question if that entire trip to the cinema had ever actually happened or if I had just had a dream that was influenced by all the promotion I had seen for Coco.

[@fifiaXD]

SAME

[@legometaworld2728]

“For my whole life I questioned if I even existed, but now, people are starting to notice me.” - Joker (2019), not the exact quote but I can’t find it

[@kermit00000]

SAME, I REMEBERED IT DISTINCTLY, BUT BECAUSE OF COCO, I THOUGHT I GOT THEM MIXED UP.

[@CouldntThinkOfaGoodUsername]

OMG SAME WHAT

[@kararichardson9177]

Yes! I thought I dreamed it up until I was on an airplane one time that had movies so I watched it and I was very relieved to have not dreamed it up, and realized how incredible of a movie it is!

[@justrenderin1279]

So one thing I ABOSLUTELY LOVE about this film is that the voice acting for both English and Spanish are done by the same voice actors... because they're all Mexican. I love this film because there aren't many Mexican Animated Films, so seeing so many famous Mexican talent combined into this felt incredible and actually gave me a sense of pride. In most cases I wouldn't see much representation besides Mucha Lucha/ El Tigre but this film was special. Mexican Culture has so much to offer but usually gets avoided in most cases; even being born Mexican I grew up ignorant of some of it because my family wanted to be more "American". We still have our panaderias, still eat our traditional meals, Hell we used to go to Rosarito every year, but there isn't much in terms of music or entertainment that I can recall that isn't super famous (Suavemente being my personal favorite). Thanks for making this video, I hope more people give this movie a shot, not many i talk to have seen it and that's a real shame.

[@eddie-roo]

Were you born near the border? Like, maybe Mexicali, Tecate or Tijuana, since you mentioned Rosarito? Also, no respectable Mexican uses American to refer to people from the US.

[@andyo3637]

@@eddie-roo what's wrong with referring to americans as american?

[@eddie-roo]

@@andyo3637 because people from the US aren’t the only Americans out there. Everyone from Greenland and Canada to Chile, Argentina and the Falklands is American.

[@andyo3637]

@@eddie-roo could i ask for clarification? are you saying how different ethnicities live in the US? if so, that would just make them, technically speaking, americans yeah? but again, i genuinely would like to know more about your point of view. theres no point in an argument if we can just have a fun little conversation

[@skinnybuggo]

@@andyo3637 there are 3 americas, south america, central america, north america, the us is just one country of the americas

[@kamalbora4276]

I love this movie so much. Fun fact, the two gods in this movie have a daughter who appears in the show he made before this El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera - Sartana of the Dead. And if I remember correctly Manny himself is a descendant of Manolo, while his best friend Frida is a descendant of Joaquin. Which is rlly funny if you take into account Joaquin loses his right eye and Manny has a huge scar over his own right eye. Every time these families get together *someone* injures their eye!

[@officialmai]

Manolo is actually a reincarnation of a god, too, Zatz. Maria is a reincarnation of Maya. It's very interesting lore that I NEED someone to find all of it and post.

[@DearestMochi]

I will always and I mean ALWAYS sing “Creep” in Manolo’s version and no one will ever stop me from singing it that way because IT’S A MASTERPIECE

[@silashurd3597]

The guitar play and Diego Luna’s singing truly make it great!

[@nelhuiliztli2926]

Bullfighting in México is at an all time low. Asides from those in major cities, a lot of the rings are abandoned, crumbling, and green all over. I’ve asked my cousins and they don’t know why. Probably they lost interest and bored, or maybe it was getting expensive for maintenances, but I’m sure it wasn’t because of ethics. Traveling across México you’ll see these abandoned Bull rings.

[@michaldworakowski187]

I supose it has to do with current situation in mexico where majority of population is in the major cities, the smaller ones are abandoned as people move to the cities or to USA and the current generation seems to be just not interested as they have other forms or entertaiment.

[@Dr.Meme-Man]

@@michaldworakowski187 sounds to me like bull fighting might be a lost tradition in time.

[@agirlwithglasses5743]

@@Dr.Meme-Man Yes.Spanish here and bullfighting was also popular.Many rings are now abandoned and about 60% of Spaniards don't want to continue bullfighting. Idk how the staditics might be over there but here most of the people who still enjoy bullfighting are the older generation.

[@RobotScarlet]

@@agirlwithglasses5743 Portuguese here and same, although it's not outright gone, sadly and I genuinely hate it. It's to the point that there are groups who protest and are seen as crazy. It's not crazy to not want an animal to be tortured and killed for the enjoynment of others, like... in normal circumstances it would be viewed as obscene but I guess it's not when it's bulls getting hurt and it has a ton of people watching... Such a shame too because the matador outfit is absolutely gorgeous and wasted on these freaks. My dad constantly argues that a bull has no purpose... As if this is good enough of a purpose to give to a bull.

[@mrnobody7217]

is becsuse it isnt mexican culture

[@dx_67]

As someone who celebrates día de los muertos, i really am glad to see a movie about it. Both this movie and Coco i enjoyed for similar reasons, but personally, The Book of Life has a much more interesting, creative, and culturally accurate art style. Coco did have plenty of similarities that were well done, but some of the themes/scenes feel too drawn out whereas The Book of Life has a nice smooth flow. Coco had good visuals, great visuals in fact, but it still follows that standard Pixar and Disney style whereas The Book of Life's characters are all so well designed, memorable, and unique. It is a far better representation of the cultural art of Mexico, and the characters let that shine too. Overwhelmingly glad you made a video discussing this film.

[@tubguinace]

I actually disagree, I think the Book of Life's pacing is way too fast, it distracts you from the visuals a lot of the time, and it spends too much time on gags that aren't that funny, the school kids were cringey as hell. On the visuals I don't think either film is better than the other, Coco set out to create the feel of Mexican people and culture as a whole, I look at the town from Coco and it feels like I'm in Mexico again. While the Book of Life is more focused on Mexican artistry, I look at the town from Book of Life and it almost gives me the same vibe some movies from the golden era of Mexican Cinematography give (Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete movies had love stories that are very similar to what is presented in the film, it's practically a tribute to those films). Coco represents real life Mexico in it's visuals and characters and Book Life is more a celebration of classic Mexican media and artistry, Coco still has some of that with Ernesto de la Cruz being a direct parody of classic Mexican cinema stars and the alebrijes being prominently featured, but those were more references than the main focus.

[@eddie-roo]

*Día de muertos

[@mrnobody7217]

COCO IS WAAAAAY MORE ACCURATE

[@mrnobody7217]

@@eddie-roo al menos donde yo vivo decimos el dia de los muerto no el dia de muertos

[@anxiousoptimism5517]

@@tubguinace I don't think you remember how cringe kids are. I have little siblings and my little brother, he's cringe. I still love him though.

[@chosoistryinghisbest]

i think my favorite part of the movie was when manolo sings to the thousands of bulls that his family has killed. they were all filled with resentment and even in the afterlife they could do nothing but hold that resentment. so i really liked when the bulls finally got to rest in peace for the hundreds of years that they suffered

[@clown4238]

It means a lot to see people from other cultures appreciate dia de los muertos. The Book of life is one of my personal favorite renditions of it as well and your analysis of it was incredibly enjoyable. Can't wait to see more of your vids in the future

[@eddie-roo]

*Día de muertos

[@diegogutierrez1997]

Two things, what Miraculous ladybug did is what I like to call "a love pentagram" because that stuff is the work of the devil (patent pending) And two, La Catrina isn't a deity, she's actually based on an illustration made by José Guadalupe Posada and served to symbolize how death came even for the rich. She has since become almost a synonym with día de los muertos in some places, specially in Aguascalientes, where I live, since Posada created most of his work here. Edit: just for context, I noticed that in the English dub of the movie, La Catrina's name is just "La muerte", for anyone who thought I was rambling nonsense lol. Maybe they changed it because of "la santa muerte" a pretty obscure, morbid and oftentimes straight up questionable belief system.

[@misterzygarde6431]

You know, I would love to see an El Tigre movie from Gutierrez, either as a reboot or a continuation. (Though the reboot would be a safer bet.) which funnily enough, this film did have Manny and Frida cameo in.

[@mechajay3358]

That's if Nickelodeon would allow it and we all know how stingy they are with their IP's.

[@tmphost]

El Tigre was intended to have a movie, but then the show got canceled, hence why it never happened.

[@SuperRitz44]

Oh I didnt l know there was a cameo

[@skrrtskrrt2410]

Wait where!?

[@cooltrainervaultboy-39]

@@skrrtskrrt2410 the frosted chorroes scene. They, and Manny's grandpa are scattered across the background. His dad also makes a cameo when they are explaining the Land of the Remembered.

[@pkmntrainerlilly5]

I adore The Book of Life. My husband and I went to see it in theatres for a date night, and it is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. The last song, with the bull, never fails to make me cry. I wouldn't say it and Coco are the same in any way, but I much prefer BoL over Coco any day.

[@dontlookatmyplaylists]

Yeah, this was my all time favorite movies from my childhood. Manolo and Jaquine’s friendship was wholesome and it made me happy that it wasn’t ruined when Maria picked Manolo in the end.

[@SmoothBrainStuff]

Finally someone reviewed this movie! I gotta say it's one of my favorites, and I've always liked it better than Coco. The artstyle that they used in the movie has always had a special place in my heart- along with the designs and music

[@oop5488]

When I saw it as a kid, I loved the wooden puppet look! It was so fun to watch

[@violator_]

Same man!

[@MudchopX]

One of my favorite aspects is how the 3D models reflect Jorge’s 2D style so well

[@workbynaja]

Jorge and his works will always be iconic, and the people who haven't seen them are missing out on such a treat.

[@inavela1267]

Book of life is lowkey one of my all time favorite films. The ammount of times I watch it time and time again to look at all the small details are tok many to count. I loved the style and storytelling, as well as the way they deisgned the characters and how out of what a normal human proportion's would be They really went haywire with the character design as well!

[@bigdaddyflavortown4606]

Very underrated movie imo. I saw it in theaters as a kid and I still recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it. Btw... MEXICAN FOOD IS BOMB AF

[@momoko6917]

Ahuevo comer birria 😎👊

[@bigdaddyflavortown4606]

@@momoko6917 que pasa wey

[@momoko6917]

@@bigdaddyflavortown4606 vete a comprar unos tacos de birria y me invitas

[@mrnobody7217]

cant say that if all you eated thats mexican is taco bell

[@jeice-sonocteer1199]

I grew up with this movie, and I still fondly remember so many aspects of the Book of Life… it makes me happy to see it be covered for the first time in years by someone like yourself

[@T1tanWasTaken]

I actually met the movie director a few years back, he was doing meet and greets and signing posters for you to take at my local community center I think in 2014-15, he was cool and I thought it was cool to have met someone like that (even if I hadn’t seen the movie yet lol) and granted I was 9-10 so I lost it over time, it was still a cool experience tho

[@Langodan]

I remember first seeing this movie in cinemas by accident. I went to see another movie and they played this at the beginning instead, only realising after 10 mins that they had played the wrong movie. But I'm glad they did, because I later went back to watch this movie proper because I loved the opening minutes. Haven't seen it in years, I should probably rewatch this. Especially since I actually missed the last couple minutes cause there was a bad storm and we had to evacuate.

[@MariusWales]

I'll say this, the one thing I like better about Coco is the pacing. The Book of Life feels like it's in such a rush to get to the ending.

[@aaronatkinson3050]

I watched the book of life and thought it was good but when I watched coco for the first time my heart melted I can't get over the fact of how emotional I was watching the movie the characters how colorful everything was the music and the important message the story was trying to point out is never forget your family even after their gone wow gold in my opinion i literally cried such a masterpiece

[@weirdcore1988]

Coco really had great pacing love the book of life but for coco it felt it was all build up and when it happens oh boy it was great i cried for it but for book of life it felt like the movie and everything happens so close together like oh no she left oh no he does oh no he figths a bull run great movie but the pacing was off

[@voidtectonic]

I think both movies are great in their own right

[@tubguinace]

I just wrote a huge rant about this, it keeps me from enjoying the film. But what really frustrates me about it is that it wastes so much time that could have been used to better the pacing on unfunny gags from characters that contribute nothing to the story, every time the school kids were on screen it was painful to watch.

[@tunok3874]

uh no, coco has alot of contrivinces, ernesto isnt here? oh go here! ernesto isnt here either? oh their he is! was basically the third act of coco

[@TheChildofAuraReborn]

I absolutely loved this movie when it first came out, the animation style and the concept was so alluring because of how it was a breath of fresh air from most of the animated movies we were getting (I'm not saying this as a jab at the movies coming out that year though, it was the same year HTTYD came out I think, and I loved that movie too). Fun fact: Jorge Gutierrez was actually working on the development of this movie for FOURTEEN YEARS, and had a lot of plans to even make a trilogy; this movie is absolutely a hardcore passion project of his. Also one of the things I loved the most about this movie was the brother relationship Manolo and Joaquin had. Despite all the wacky fighting they had over Maria's favor, there's plenty of moments where you can see that Joaquin isn't just "the rival" to Manolo, but still genuinely holds onto his bond with him (when they first reuinite after growing up and Manolo says "So you think she's only here to see your medals", Joaquin clearly gets uncomfortable with that implication and tries to clear it up with Manolo. Also when Manolo died, all Joaquin had on his mind was Manolo, didn't even care about marrying Maria and in fact didn't want to). I just love this movie so dearly.

[@SirBlackReeds]

He tried pitching it to Dreamworks but the deal fell through on amicable terms.

[@billythesillyy]

Also this movie is criminally underrated, glad people are noticing

[@krealyesitisbeta5642]

I honestly love and remember both movies just as fondly for different reasons. Coco made me cry considering the love for my grandma and family; The book of life was a lasting impression to me as it made me laugh even more so than watching Coco and the aesthetic being so charming!

[@rongoringo]

ngl tho one of the things that sticks with me the most is just how smoothly they implemented radiohead's creep, when I first watched I didn't even notice that i was a already existing song, keep in mind i was watching it in another language, and the song part is english

[@gektoast4968]

YES! I listen to this subtle version on repeat

[@derpychu3085]

The book of life was a movie I love ever since the trailer, Coco might be a really good movie that I really like, but the book of life will always be my favorite

[@Groog01]

One of the reasons I love this movie so much is because Xibulba's voice actor is Ron Perlman, aka Slade, the Lich, Hellboy from all the movies but the 2019 one, and so many other great roles

[@Beezibug]

I absolutely adored this movie when I first saw it, A great point with the music with that the changes the creators made to the licensed songs to have them fit in the movie, you genuinely feel like all these songs were specifically made for the movie. My sister did not believe me when I said Radiohead's song Creep was in the movie, and when I played the clip she was actually surprised when she heard it. I love when movies like this use their songs to continue the story, it's one of the only movies I would never get tired of re-watching

[@ReelsandRoses]

I saw this in theaters and the wood designs of the characters and the vibrant colors of the settings made this so beautiful to see on the big screen. On a minor note, I wish they wouldn’t have made so many mustache jokes. But the rest is so good! I even used La Muerte as an inspiration for my own Sugar Skull look I did for a costume. Oddly enough, thanks to the Fox buyout, you can watch this on Disney+.

[@Animonkey]

I'm so happy you're talking about this film, it's a much forgotten story that deserves recognition, and I 100% agree, this is way better than Coco. I support anything created by the the mind behind El Tigre, the best nick cartoon of all time

[@PPinho2711]

I remember watching this in theaters and thinking “Huh, that was kinda weird.” What really stuck with me were the blocky character models, which my friends and I thought were pretty funny at the time. I haven’t though much of it in the last years, but I do remember remembering it existed when Coco started being promoted. In retrospect, what I do remember from the plot was pretty cool

[@elizamussmann3966]

Glad to see Book of Life finally get some of the recognition it deserves. It's been one of my favourite movies since it came out and is woefully underrated. On top of being great thematically it's also one of the most visually beautiful films I've ever seen, so much so that it's the only property I've ever gone out of my way to buy the art book for 🖤

[@justalittleguywithsomeproz1162]

The art style of this movie is so fun, and the songs are genuinely beautiful and well-written

[@itsblitz4437]

Glad to see someone is talking about Book of Life it was good movie, not great but it was a well-executed movie with a nice story and main characters. In fact the same creator of the movie also made El Tigre cartoon and the new Netflix cartoon Maya and the Three. Its pretty good, hope you review it one day.

[@jacobfoxfires9647]

Man I loved Book of Life along with El Tigre. Liked the humor, action, and just the visual style of it all. While El Tigre was appreciated in my time like another kid superhero like Danny Phantom and Ben 10, Book of life is SO underrated. Like I remembered watching the trailers and thought it looked amazing but never got to see it on theaters. Than I caught it on TV, recorded it, and I absolutely loved it. I think what helps is the music, it really helps get you into the setting. Plus I learned a lot about Bullfighting in this and how cruel it was. Which made me learning about Matador in SMT make sense with the connections. And truly hope the creators here can get appreciated for the amazing work they made.

[@tomydaly2212]

The "Plaza de toros La Paloma" is actually from the city I was born Puerto Vallarta, Idk a video talking about one of my favorite Mexican represetations on the animation media and having something from my city almost made me shed a tear, thank's for a making a video about this movie, it was incredibly nostalgic

[@Red_Steampunker]

I remember seeing the movie and loving it, but since I was a kid I never remembered the name. Spanish class played it one day, and I fell in love with it again. It’s so sad it was out shined by coco. Both are good, but in different ways.

[@authbrunette]

I always gotta bring this movie up when talking about Coco or just animated movies in general. I saw this in theaters when I was little and was mesmerized and still till this day. I was suppose to make a video of this film and why the jukebox aspect of it was so important- now I’m happy to see there’s others who like this film as much as I do!

[@Lulu_0809]

When I first watched this movie at school when I was younger, the thing that popped out to me most was the character designs, especially La Muerte’s design, her’s always grabbed my attention.

[@janc2215]

Thank you for such an equally heartfelt and intelligent look at this movie. Very few people I know have even seen it, and some people that I've shown it too just thought it was fine. Seeing "The Book of Life" get such a fantastic breakdown on the matter of head and heart both means a lot. (No really, I got a little misty-eyed!) This is an excellent video and you should be proud of yourself for it.

[@l.l.2046]

I watched Book of Life back when it came out on a flight and I remember absolutely loving it. The animation alone is so beautiful

[@Titanruler]

I feel like Book of Life works as a Jukebox musical because 1. The songs aren’t kinda well known so you don’t know that it’s a song made by someone else 2. The songs fit the theme and vibe of the movie and don’t stick out like a thumb and 3. They didn’t try to be mainstream

[@PenntheDragon]

Thank you for making this video about this wonderful film! The Book of Life has inspired me to look more into Dia de los Muertos and I celebrated it every year after I watched it. Fun fact, the last song in the film "No matter where you are" was sung by the couple band "Us the duo". The song is the pair's first single since signing with Republic Records with the lyrics being an extension of their wedding vows.

[@Lunacrois]

I find the characters’ names to be interesting. They reminded me of when my theater professor told the class that the number of syllables in the names Romeo and Juliet were significant. Maria and Manolo both have 3 syllables in their names while Joaquin has 2, so we can predict who will be together in the end. This might not be intentional by the writers for The Book of Life, but I like connecting the two in that way

[@destiny_ultimatedork675]

Was looking forward to this video! Celebrated for my grandparents this year and rewatched this movie because it really reminded me of them. Jorge and Guillermo made a new series on Netflix, I really reccomend it! Totally agree about Book of Life being better then Coco in many regards, including being directed by a Mexican himself 👍

[@bichi4475]

What is the name of the show ?

[@tylerfish2701]

Maya and the 3, but Guillermo del Toro had no involvement on it.

[@bichi4475]

@@tylerfish2701 thanks

[@user-yq4ej5jv4s]

I’ve watched the show with spanish dub on and its amazing.

[@tadpole5128]

LETS GOOOOOO i loved this movie so much when i was younger, its great to see it being more recognized as of late

[@akcollete]

This has got to be one of the most underrated films, I remember watching this movie and liking it allot.

[@xxivletxx]

I adored this movie when I was a kid. I had this movie playing in my room all the time alongside Mr. Peabody and Sherman. It gave me an appreciation for Mexican culture and everything surrounding it

[@GoldenKeyGKoficialmentesafada]

I remember finding your channel through Vlare... checking out your YT channel was totally worth it

[@RoronoaZoro-ur6hr]

I found out his channel from Just a Robot, Manga Kamen, and Literature Devil.

[@giantpinkcat]

I've never seen this movie, but from what I've heard it looks like a Love Triangle movie done right.

[@mikii5939]

I absolutely love The Book of Life, my mom took me and my grandma to go see it and we loved it! Our family is Mexican and we really loved the style and colors, especially since my family is also very art centered. The Apology Song that Manila sings to the giant bull is my favorite to this day.

[@gabrielaubry1334]

"The Book of Life or Coco?" "...why not both AND Grim Fandango." "YAAAYYY!"

[@landonyaky5653]

When someone mentions The Book of Life, I always think of that McDonalds game where you had to pop as much balloons as you can on the Magic Screen thingie, and let me tell you, I was a god at it.

[@kingbash6466]

I watched this movie purely because I really enjoyed El Tigre. Really liked the puppet aesthetic for most of the story. Looking back though, I finally understand how Sans fanatics feel when I first saw La Muerte.

[@--Paws--]

The Book of Life was really overshadowed by Disney's take on the Day of the Dead; I don't want to mention its name since it gets too much attention. I totally agree, The Book of Life was a better emersion than that other movie. The biggest gripe people disliked about The Book of Life was that it used licensed music by others - I think it was clever since it told the story. Shrek used music as a mood to set what's happening yet the Book of Life made it into a musical which emphasized the event in the scene and what the characters' are feeling.

[@aliadrift]

I absolutely love the visual style of this movie. The characters look like wooden figures, which plays into how the museum guide is telling the story with wooden figures. I think it's such a neat detail! I also remember feeling so in awe when Manolo died and everything was suddenly so beautiful and colorful.

[@puffi0989]

I think both Book of Life and Coco are great, strong movies in their own way. I also see no meaning in comparing the two really. Even though they revolve around the same Holiday and put a strong emphasis on music, the themes and story are way different. I love both. I love the plot and characters in The Book of Life, I love the plot and characters in Coco. However I feel like yeah, the art in the latter is superior and goes for more exaggerated toony designs, when Pixar went for more details and "photorealistic" style. World of the Dead in Coco is where they really did a great job, but still not the best they could. In general I just simp for Hector.

[@cashordeals3672]

I haven't seen this movie in years but best believe i still remember some scenes especially when the main character was singing to that giant bull

[@limeraldguy9784]

I can't believe this movie was jukebox musical. The songs fitted so well.

[@sischaotica]

Holy shit, I watched this movie SO many times as a kid. I haven't seen it in years though, I need to watch it again. I also felt so much nostalgia watching this video.

[@boganborn]

This has always been better than Coco.

[@surgicallydestroyed]

nah

[@MagnusTonitrum117]

both are great movies

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Both of them are great.

[@TunaPetunia456]

Why not both?

[@mrvoice3436]

@@TunaPetunia456 because the ability to like a thing without hating the other is too advanced for the average internet user

[@lees3178]

As soon as the book of life was announced I was on the hype train and ahhh seeing people talk about it is so satisfying The art book is obviously FIRE

[@mechajay3358]

The Book of Life is one of my all time favorite films in recent years. Jorge's First Show El Tigre was one the more underrated shows from Nick.

[@annawildman2330]

I LOVE this movie! It's one of my favorites of all time! Everything about it is amazing and well done. You can tell that everyone who worked on this movie put passion in this! I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good story, great characters, and amazing animation

[@swaggy_9212]

I loved this move so much when I was younger but it felt like a fever dream, I’m glad to see someone talking about it.

[@bobertroth9134]

Such a solid overlooked film. Watched it all the time at my grandmother's. So glad you covered it

[@thdenwheja756]

I'm really noticing the points you made in here with Guitierrez's more recent work, Maya and the Three. The first episode did establish a lot of cliches that I thought would drag the story down, but by the end of the second, I was already fascinated by how it was playing with them and where the characters' arcs were going.

[@akkar8726]

When I was younger, me and my family would visit this nice resort in Abu Dhabi around twice a year. When I went in the indoor play area near a bar, this was always the movie that played. I have tons of nostalgia for TBOL, so I'm excited for this video.

[@gubjorgm.2259]

I'm so glad you covered this. It's one of my favourites and it's funny how because I am only a year older, we viewed the movie the same way it seems. I didn't even know that the songs were old songs! I was also very happy that the other dude was likeable. That is rare.

[@katofphats3689]

I watched this for the first time at my cousin's place and love it, really glad to see this covered!

[@bakuuho]

THANK YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT THIS! i used to be obsessed about the movie. one of my top favs. i literally used to sing all the songs and remembered saying the lines of the characters. brings me back

[@SpectreBagels]

I actually really liked this movie when I saw it, in part to it reminding me of El Tigre which I loved(and now after all these years I now know it was by the same guy😅). I would happily rewatch this movie again and again cause it's just a really good and enjoyable movie. Coco is good as a spectacle with some good story beats but I think the reason that between the 2 I prefer this movie is because Coco feels like a big budget movie that does have soul but, especially in comparison to this movie, it just feels lack luster in a way I'm not sure how to verbally convey

[@pumpkingeist]

I love learning about and embracing other cultures, so movies like this always find a special place in my heart. I saw it when I was a kid and I've been holding most media regarding the day of the dead up to it in terms of standards. While Coco wasn't a bad movie, I remember rewatching The Book of Life after seeing it

[@youtagames2071]

FINALLY, a video about this movie ! I've been waiting for this !

[@trixxartarchive7705]

I absolutely adorable the art style and colours in this film. I especially love Maria's design.

[@scout2666]

I really loved this movie as a kid but I completely forgot about it till now

[@mariak5096]

I love both this movie and Coco. I remember when people online were fighting over which one was better until the directors of both films came out and complimented each other's movies haha. They're both unique movies that happen to focus on the same lovely holiday, and I think that's great.

[@annikak.1554]

I’ve always adored this movie and it’s delightful to see someone talk about it. It’s an absolutely beautiful and emotionally strong film and I’ve always felt like the only person in my life that had heard of it, much less seen it. Thank you for making this video

[@brub1738]

The artstyle of this movie is so good it really does suck how underrated this movie is