"The Book of Life" (2014)

Synopsis:  
Manolo, a young man, is torn between following his father's footsteps and following his heart, embarks on a journey through three different lands to face his greatest fears and win the heart of the woman he loves.

Review:
This is a very good animated film overall.

The story is unique and well constructed. It has a dark and gothic tone, and at the same time, it is quite cute and light-hearted. It is structured as a fairy tale and has a pretty neat musical aspect. It is heartfelt, charming, clever and often funny.

I like the environment. It is well thought out and I like that they show you these different lands as the protagonist explores them.

The characters are likeable and well developed. I like the chemistry between Manolo and Maria and Joaquin is an entertaining character. Xibalba, the mariachi band, and Manolo's ancestors, and the candle maker are also entertaining characters.

The animation is very stunning and creative. While it is mainly a computer animated film, it uses various animation techniques such as figurines and hand drawn animation. As the animators used those three animation techniques, I think they pulled it off very well. It is also very colorful.

Overall, this is a very well done and creative animated film and I highly recommend it to anyone who is into animation.

Max Scale:
10/10