The “Book of Life” is a warming holiday tale

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Reel FX Animation Studio

Manolo enters the Land of the Dead in The Book of Life.

Strydr Silverberg, Ranger Review Reporter

The book of life is a vibrant fantasy-adventure that tells the story of Manolo, a hero who sets off on a quest through magical worlds in order to rescue his true love and defend his village from the evil hero, Xibalba. On the Day of the Dead, two spirits, La Muerte and Xibalba, place a bet after seeing two boys, Manolo and Jaoquin, who are competing for the heart of a young girl named Maria.

After Maria’s father makes her go to a boarding school in Mexico City, Manolo and Jaoquin are heartbroken. Many years later, The audience finds out that Manolo has become a musician and a bullfighter and Jaoquin has become a famous sheriff. After hearing the news that Maria is coming back to town, Jaoquin returns to the city and they prepare for her arrival.

Maria returns and is even more beautiful than before and Manolo and Jaoquin are infatuated. They are both given opportunities to prove themselves worthy of Maria, with Manolo fighting a bull and Jaoquin having to fight bandits that come into town. Manolo fails to kill the bull, however Jaoquin is successful in his fight with the bandits. Maria seems to have fallen for Jaoquin when Manolo tells her to meet him near a tree outside of town.

Xibalba, the the spirit of the dead, doesn’t want Manolo to win Maria’s heart, so he sends his evil snake to take Manolo’s life. The snake is successful and Manolo must find a way to get back to his home to be with his true love, Maria. Following  plot twist after plot twist, Manolo finds his way back to the real world and he and Jaoquin must work together to save their city.

The Book of Life is not only a story about mexican folk lore, but it is also a story about how working together can benefit everybody.  The Book of Life is a heart-warming story based on mexican folk lore that is fun for the whole family. If you are looking for a movie to If you get the chance to see this movie I would highly recommend it.