Love, Legends, and the Theories That Live Beyond the Candlelight
An animated movie is not the only thing The Book of Life is. When Gutiérrez’s movie came out in 2014, it was an exhibition of color, story, and the essence of Mexico’s Dia de Los Muertos. Jorge Gutiérrez crafted something that felt more like an animated folktale than a film. The film’s style is wooden puppetry, and descends in the mariachi beats of Mexico, but fans discovered it featured the depth that film critics seek. Hidden behind the surface of a family movie are stories and layers of meaning that motivated the audience to come up with many theories, and continue to reminisce about the film.
Most films attempt to tell stories that people think are easy and easily identifiable, and The Book of Life is no exception. Outwardly, it tells the story of a love triangle involving Manolo, María, and Joaquin. The more fans watched the movie, however, the more they realized it was a love quadrant, and the movie had story elements that were not immediately visible to the audience.
The Heart of the Story and the Spirits Behind It
Manolo Sánchez is a soft spoken bullfighter and musician, divided between pursuing a family legacy, and following his passion. After years of education abroad, María challenges and defies the culture of San Ángel as an educated, strong young woman. Hiding his insecurities, Joaquin, the local favorite and hero, is also divided and concerned with La Muerte’s whims.
The stakes of the story play out as the focus of the film and the bets placed between La Muerte and Xibalba, and the audience feels a surprising closeness and intimacy to the subject matter. Several viewers felt the film address intergenerational pressures and the fickle nature of destiny as the film supported the notion that, in real-life, true bravery is often contrary to the legends.
Manolo’s character was, in part, inspired by the author’s grandfather who placed family pressures to conform to expectations. La muerte is not the center of the emotionally resonant story; rather, the fans realized, it was the storytelling itself and the enchanted character of the spirits that captivated the audience.
The Theory That Never Went Away: Is Xibalba Really the Villain?
One of the biggest topics of debate among fans is Xibalba. On the surface, Xibalba is the primary culprit of a lot of foul deeds he is cheating in the game of bets, controlling people, and is power-hungry. But fans of the show have pointed out that his worst acts can be loneliness and jealousy, but they lack an essence of true evil.
A common theory among fans is that Xibalba is evil. He is, in a sense, a reflection of the insecurities of others. La Muerte, unlike Xibalba, is loved, respected, and is seen by others as a graceful figure. He does what he does because he is looking for love and recognition that he is not given. The discussions on reddit have pointed to the end of the show where Xibalba weakens character-design wise and is less intimidating because of the reverse of the close up of his face and the exceeding blandness of his character.
The voice of Xibalba, Ron Perlman, reacted to the theories by saying, I always saw him as misunderstood. He complains a lot, but he just wants love like the rest of us.”
This was a huge point of validation for fans and explained what they have been doing for so many years.
Alternate Endings Fans Thought Were Gonna Happen
Despite the colorful animation style in the movie and upbeat energy of the soundtrack, the fans creativity extended to more darker, more abstract and more ominous alternate ending theories leading to Gutiérrez being questioned about some of the more popular theories in interviews.
- Manolo Stays in the Land of the Remembered
There is more poetic reasoning fans suggested and presumed that Manolo staying in the land of the remembered would have to be symbolic of him choosing the afterlife and being able to break free from the expectations of living and having to experience the burden of mortality, thus living an eternal afterlife.
Gutiérrez confirmed that storyboarding in the earlier drafts did feature the concept of having Manolo staying in the afterlife, but he was sure to note that the story did not include the concept of being trapped in an afterlife.
- María Becomes The Leader of San Ángel
Some of the believed theories about the political leadership of María’s character arc was that he wasn’t the one in charge of San Ángel in the end. Other more political fans have suggested an alternate ending in which Maria becomes the leading hero and political leader of San Angel, not Manolo or Joaquín.
Rosie Saldana, the voice actor for Maria, encouraged this reading as well by saying in an interview that Maria ‘certainly grows into a leader, perhaps the leader that San Angel needed.’”
- Joaquín’s Medal Is Sent by La Muerte, Not Xibalba
A softer theory speculates the true origin of Joaquín’s invincibility medal. Fans theorized that La Muerte gave it to him, wishing to shield the boys she had to watch grow. It paints the gods as co-parents, not rivals, making it very wholesome.
Although Gutiérrez has clearly debunked the theory, he still loved the reasoning and said that fans ‘added a certain sweetness to it that he never expected.’
Audience Character Interpretations
In the audience and amongst the reviewers, the symbolic storytelling within the three core characters has been acknowledged for years.
Manolo represents art and emotion, as he staunchly refuses violence even in situations when it is expected.
Joaquin represents the societal ‘yes’, and his strength is built upon the constant admiration of others.
Maria is the embodiment of progress, confronting the norms of her gender by advocating for education and activism.
This reading became more prominent when fans pointed out that almost every single emotional climax resolves around a decision as opposed to predestined fate. This leads back to the underlying point of the film, which is that fate is self-determined.
The production was full of little secrets that left even fans in wonder to enjoy:
More than 40% of the film’s artwork was inspired by Mexican folk art, especially the wooden, hand-carved figurines from Oaxaca.
Almost each character caricatures the wooden joints normally associated with real handcrafted toys.
The entire storybook art style was inspired by the picturesque sketchbook, from the childhood drawings of the film director.
The candles of La Muerte, like the real ones, imitate the exact number of candles used in altars during the Day of the Dead.
Xibalba’s wings are designed after moths, a creature that represents decay and transformation.
The small details give a picture of the care that the filmmakers put into the culture, traditions, and the authenticity of the film, and this care perhaps explains the film’s strong impact on children and adults that appreciate the deeper meaning of the film.
Public Speculations Prior To and Subsequent To The Release
Prior to the film’s release, there was a general consensus that this folk tale was going to center around simple romance stories, and holiday events. Once the film was released, a multi-layered tale that was centered around the holiday’s legacy, and emotional courage of remembrance was unveiled to the audience. Following the release, fans turned the film into a folk tale of their own, complete with metaphors, and spiritual constructs.
Some people have argued that the framing device of the museum means that the entire narrative is a retelling instead of being a history that is actual. Others have argued that the characters are a reflection of real legends from Mexico, but these legends have their names and images hidden through different means.
What Gutierrez states is the best part of the legacy of the film is watching the audience members ‘take’ the film and ‘rebuild’ it in a different way, which is perhaps the best tribute to a film that focuses on remembering stories.
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