I got very very excited about this film back when I first saw the trailer for it this summer, and caught a glimpse of what this film's story would dub "the Land of the Remembered:"
Quick! How many skulls do you see? It's a stunning array of color and banners and candles, and at that point I didn't care how the story would be executed. I just wanted to see the visuals! Animation-wise, this film did a great job in combining 2D and 3D elements based off of flashbacks and character POVs. You see dream sequences and montages all work themselves effortlessly into the story as it centers around three childhood friends. Director Guillermo del Toro definitely wanted to incorporate his personal dark-fantastical touch to this animated kids' film but also make it an educational opportunity for American kiddos who don't know anything about the Day of the Dead. It was pretty clever, actually. Apparently Mexico is the center of the Earth? :D
Anyway, my absolute favorite part of this whole thing - though I'll admit the film had its faults on it - was the conflicted relationship between Manolo and Maria.
Even though they'd been childhood friends and are very close, the conflict is that Maria has seen the world and read books and might not be interested in love at the moment, while sadly, Manolo can't stop thinking about her. And the two of them have influenced each other: Maria gave Manolo a guitar to follow his dreams, and Manolo gave her a baby pig to remember home while she went off to be an educated lady. It's adorable, but still the conflict remains and Manolo has to prove his love to Maria.
He does it by not killing bulls, even though it totally contradicts his family's heritage. He does it by attempting to join Maria in the Spirit World when realizing she might be dead... only to make his way out of the Spirit World (something nobody had ever done!) in order to get back to her in the land of the Living. He does it by sacrificing himself to the biggest town bully, the Chakal.
By the end of it, Maria says "yes." The elements that play out with the Land of the Remembered, such as never forgetting your family and not seeing death as a tragedy but as something joyful and adventurous... it all brought back the triumphant ending with good vs. evil. The whole film was a bit silly in a way, with lots of one-liners from the "other" guy, Joaquin, but it really made due with the fact that Love is not all about muscles and heroism. Sometimes it's all about playing a song to your lady. :D
