Have you ever felt the weight of having to live up to your family’s expectations? Frozen in a moment of silence, knowing you disappointed them and hoping for understatement instead of judgement, many in the Hispanic community recognize this familiar pressure. Our parents sacrificed too much, so shouldn’t we do everything to make them proud?

This reality is heavily reflected in the 2014 animated movie “The Book of Life,” directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez and produced by Guillermo del Toro. We see a variety of colors and Mexican culture, particularly Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). As the movie progresses, we see Manolo (the main character) feeling pressured to live up to his father’s expectations to become a bullfighter, a tradition in the Sanchez family. Despite the pressure, his heart was set on becoming a musician to pursue his love for María (daughter of the general of their hometown, San Ángel).

Symbolism in Settings

The movie is set in the fictional town of San Ángel, portrayed as the center of the universe and directly under it are three realms. This includes the Land of the Remembered, the Land of the Forgotten and the Cave of Souls. All three places are depicted as their own; the Land of the Remembered, ruled by La Muerte who is an immortal goddess and depicted as a skeleton made of white sugar candy– her realm demonstrates the afterlives of those remembered by the living. Full of vibrant colors and endless fiestas, it symbolizes the Hispanic culture in the afterlife through the importance of honoring our ancestors.

College freshman, Carmen Oregel shares her opinion on the film’s take on Día de los Muertos.

“The movie does a fantastic job of portraying the Día de Los Muertos by explaining what the day signifies. This is very useful for people that do not know about the culture,” Oregel said.

Though some may be unfamiliar with Día de los Muertos, the tradition and its representation in the film make it easy to understand and feel the emotion, like warmth and sanctuary through the celebration. The realm’s bright colors and endless fiestas are filled with the warmth and remembrance of which is meant to be felt through the holiday.

In contrast, the Land of the Forgotten, ruled by Xibalba, a mischievous ancient god made of black tar and ectoplasm, is a deserted place. Here in this realm lie the souls of the unremembered, exemplifying the feeling of abandonment being forgotten brings and the importance of cherishing memories with loved ones.

The last realm, the Cave of souls, is ruled by the Candle Maker, the spirit of life, and death. His purpose was to create the stories of living beings, resulting in the Book of Life. His entire realm is covered in candles, representing lifespans.

The contrasting settings are significant because it carries heavy symbolism. The two opposing forces between the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten portray relations of happiness and grief, light and dark, memory and forgetting, including the Cave of souls (where the forgotten souls disintegrate).

Symbolism in Characters

Aside from the settings, the existence of characters like Xibalba and the Candle Maker symbolize striking differences. Xibalba’s name means “place of fear,” derived from the Mayan language. It’s important to note that Xibalba represents more than the underworld, he depicts the fear of failure and the dark side of hiding ourselves, similar to Manolo’s journey. This becomes important when we think of the expectations placed on Manolo and how he, out of fear, let that shape his life. Figures like Xibalba and La muerte serve as a metaphor for our inner struggle, making Xibalba the character where we are forced to confront our deepest fears.

Moreover, Xibalba was depicted in shades of black, while the Candle Maker is associated with light shades; literally made of golden wax and clouds as a beard. The candles he owns symbolize each person’s life and their lifespan. It ties to the mythological traditions where light and candles represent life, soul, and destiny.

Lastly, La Muerte represents fairness, contradicting Xibalba’s ways of cheating. In the beginning of the film, both La Muerte and Xibalba made a wager on Manolo and Joaquin to see who would end up marrying María. She believes genuine compassion and that the choices we make – not including strength, shape our lives. This is crucial because strength is the main description for Joaquin’s character. Ultimately, leaving La Muerte to choose Manolo who is portrayed as authentic and loveable, while Xibalba chooses Joaquin, who is strong and the town hero.

Connections with Characters

Moving on to Joaquin and Manolo’s characters, they grew up as childhood friends who were competing for María’s love– the ultimate love triangle. While Manolo is raised to follow his family’s tradition of becoming a bullfighter, Joaquin dedicated his life to become a hero like his father who passed away, and María was pressured to marry Joaquin to save her town from the antagonist, Chakal, to become the “perfect woman.” All three of them are wrapped around their parent’s wishes and expectations.

 Junior Ruth Davila shared her thoughts on the movie’s change and identity.

“Manolo and María both grow into genuine, loving people who stay true to themselves.  That’s what brings them together in the end.  Joaquin, on the other hand, starts off wanting fame and glory like his father, but he learns that real heroism comes from kindness and courage, not popularity.  All three characters show different sides of identity and bravery because being true to who you are takes courage,” Davila said.

Adding on to Davila’s thoughts, Manolo and Joaquín, despite their differences, both grew into their true selves at the end of the movie. As well as María, they all had similar challenges with different passions, but were pressured by their fathers to follow their expectations instead. Nevertheless, they faced the struggles that many Hispanics can relate to and did their best to overcome them. Once they fought back and won, they flourished and thrived.

Davila touched on this topic as well, explaining the process of the characters’ lesson.

“At first, honoring family meant following the roles expected of them, like how Manolo was supposed to be a bullfighter, Joaquín a hero, and María a “proper lady.” But all of them learned that they didn’t need to hide who they really were to make others proud.  In the end, they honored their families by following their passions and being true to themselves.  I think that’s a lesson a lot of people can relate to,” Davila said.

Visual Storytelling and Music

This movie is by far one of the most beautifully illustrated and harmonious animations based on Hispanic culture. It is colorful and detail oriented, all while consisting of humor. Throughout the story we find many references to mustaches and guitars; the town is literally shaped as a guitar. The way the characters are drawn is very different from other animated movies.

The animators created their own style, much like a puppeteer; the characters are drawn as wood with metal joints that hold them together, reminding the audience of Pinocchio with his quirky movements. This style plays an important role in the movie because it separates the art style from other common animations, meaning it’s fresh and feels new to the audience.

As for music it features many pop singles and original songs like “No Matter Where You Are”, “I Will Wait”, “Creep”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love with You”, and the famous song “I Love You Too Much.” This was an iconic scene in the movie because it showcased his genuine love for María, playing through his heart- something María told him in the very beginning of the movie. Another song that resonates with the overall movie’s theme is “The Apology Song.”

The song that stood out to me the most was “The Apology Song” because it ties back to Manolo’s character growth. The scene where he is meant to fight and kill a bull but instead apologizes, becomes a significant turning point in the film. Before this song, a powerful moment that only further developed his character occurred. Manolo is obligated to choose between a sword or a guitar. The sword represents his father’s expectations and the tradition that comes along with it of living up to bullfighting, and the guitar represents his true passion for music. Choosing the guitar, Manolo proves to the audience that courage does not mean physical strength, but the bravery to follow your heart. Following the movie’s central theme; you are not defined by strength, but by integrity.

The lyrics in “The Apology Song” bring out genuine and emotional feelings for the audience. The lyrics deepen its themes of reconciliation. In the song, the lines, “Although we were bred to fight, I reach for kindness in your heart tonight. And if you can forgive… Love can truly live,” highlights the power of compassion to break cycles of conflict. Later, when Manolo sings, “Toro, I am frightened. But I’ll use my final breath. To tell you that I’m sorry. Let us end this dance of death. Two centuries of agony. That to your heart we sent,” reflects the courage it takes to confront fear and acknowledge past mistakes. These lyrics emphasize that true bravery and lasting love come from honesty, forgiveness, and the choices we make to heal old wounds, mirroring Manolo’s journey throughout the film.

Moral Lessons

Overall, the biggest overarching theme within the film is to stay true to yourself. This resonates with most of the youth today, especially within the Mexican community, as we are constantly pressured to live up to our parent’s expectations. However, the most striking line in the movie was right after Manolo defeats the bull with love and the narrator says, “Manolo’s biggest fear wasn’t killing a bull, his biggest fear was being himself.” This line speaks volumes to tons of teenagers, not just to Hispanics, but worldwide.

Davila shared how the movie taught worthy lessons and the main message she took out of the film.

“The movie teaches powerful lessons about courage, family, and following your dreams.  It shows that you don’t have to fit into someone else’s expectations to make a difference.  I also like how it started with kids in detention, but by the end, they learned valuable lessons about life, love, and self-discovery. The main message is to do what you love and never give up on yourself,” Davila said.

It reminds teenagers that the hardest challenges aren’t always external; they can be internal in the form of self-doubt or pressure. This movie encourages the youth to embrace their passions and have courage to write their own story, just like Manolo. “The Book of Life” ultimately shows that traditions and family expectations may shape a lot of us, but true fulfillment comes from being our authentic selves.

Davila also shared her additional thoughts, that I’m sure many of us would agree with. 

“I hope one day I meet my own Manolo. He was funny and genuine and even died just to be with María . If my future husband isn’t like him, then I don’t want him,” Davila said.