We brought you a first look at the Guillermo del Toro-produced ‘toon **The Book Of Life back in May. At Comic-Con, the filmmakers unveiled a new trailer for the Mexican-flavoured, afterworld-inspired film, which has now gone online via Apple.
The Book Of Life, sprung from the brain of illustrator/director Jorge R. Gutierrez, and has been brought to the screen with a bit of help from writer Doug Langdale and the oversight of Mr. “I’m involved with 63,000 projects at any one time” del Toro who was also working on Crimson Peak while offering guidance and support on Book.
A sort of Corpse Bride-meets-Romeo-And-Juliet tale, this sees a matador, Manolo (Diego Luna), and town hotshot Joaquin (Channing Tatum), vying for the attentions of a beautiful girl called Maria (Zoë Saldana). Things go awry for Manolo when he's bitten by a snake and sent plunging into a trippy underworld filled with strange beasties and on an adventure "that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears". Those worlds are the Land of the Living, the Land of the Remembered, and the Land of the Forgotten.
It certainly appears a step up for Fox collaborators Reel FX after their first effort, Free Birds, and looks crammed with lush visual imagery and some goofy humour. With Cheech Marin, Christina Applegate, Ron Perlman, Danny Trejo, Ice Cube, Ana de la Reguera and the great Placido Domingo also lending their vocal chords, The Book Of Life arrives in UK cinemas on October 24.