The Book Of Life

Certificate U.

95 mins.

Animation/Fantasy/Romance.

Featuring the voices of: Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Ron Perlman, Kate del Castillo, Ice Cube, Hector Elizondo, Christina Applegate, Dan Navarro, Ana de la Reguera

IN THE town of San Angel on the Day Of The Dead, rival gods La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) agree a wager on the resolution of a love triangle involving two boys, Manolo (Diego Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum), who are both in love with their friend Maria (Zoe Saldana).

La Muerte, ruler of the Land of the Remembered, believes that sensitive Manolo will get the girl and realise his musical ambitions rather than take up the mantle of his matador father (Hector Elizondo).

Meanwhile, Xibalba (Ron Perlman), ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, selects courageous Joaquin as his champion and secretly boosts the young man’s chances with an enchanted medal of protection.

When the time comes for Maria to choose between her suitors, conniving Xibalba attempts to influence her decision to ensure he wins the bet.

The Book Of Life is a fantastical computer-animated fable about three friends, who discover there is love after death.

The film inhabits a macabre universe that Tim Burton has made his own but director Jorge R Gutierrez and his team of animators opt for a more jaunty, upbeat tone enhanced by a bouncy soundtrack replete with cover versions of Elvis Presley, Radiohead and Rod Stewart.

Action sequences are orchestrated at a brisk pace, punctuated by soaring serenades, and the script tackles tricky themes of mortality, self-sacrifice and the afterlife without giving young viewers nightmares.

The animation razzle dazzles our eyes, cramming as much retina-searing colour and detail as possible into each frame, especially in the 3D version available exclusively on Blu-ray.