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What did you think?
It's just the first weekend, and the international gross is sure to add a lot to the total. It hasn't even opened in most countries yet. And don't forget the effect that positive word of mouth can have.
edited 19th Oct '14 10:15:02 PM by Mort08
Looking for some stories?It's the best animated film I've seen in a long time (better than Frozen, imo), though I put my thoughts a bit more together in a review, here
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edited 19th Oct '14 11:23:43 PM by KnownUnknown
Even though I liked the film, I still think Maria should have legitimately died and gone on the adventure with Manolo. It would have been more interesting. But they did a good job with the story they used, so I'll let it slide.
edited 19th Oct '14 11:19:40 PM by Mort08
Looking for some stories?I did like that until the end Maria wasn't definitively attached narratively with either Manolo or Joaquin, and I think making Manolo's adventure Manolo and her adventure would've ruined that and separated Joaquin too much. Though on the flipside, she ultimately came off as a bit too much of a Presidents Daughter archetype as a result.
edited 19th Oct '14 11:26:22 PM by KnownUnknown
I'm not sure how fair it is to compare it to The Lego Movie, considering how wildly different they are. But I enjoyed it more than most of the animated movies I've seen this year, both on a visual level and on a storytelling level.
edited 20th Oct '14 7:53:48 AM by Mort08
Looking for some stories?Saw the movie yesterday. Liked it a lot. One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Plan on buying the DVD when it comes out.
Also- do you guys remember what the twins were called? I kinda missed that part.
http://h0useb0und.tumblr.com/Was such a great movie. Would put it up there with Nightmare Before Christmas and Doctor Parnassus.
Though two things were bugging me: Why does Jorge keep reusing that musical cue "Mas" By Kinky like he did in El Tigre and why do they keep quoting Galaxy Quest?
Such a cute film. My father wants to purchase it when he gets a proper income. We got the Mc Donald and theater buckets today to my surprise. Prefer the theater bucket due to showing the cast but the Mcdonlad's bucket came with Xibalba sticker and awesome skull handle.
A lot of things in the film reminded me of my El Salvadorian grandfather. Especially the bullfighting posters. He'd have these painting of bullfighters on his wall(especially the legend of Ferdinand). My father told me that people from Mexico are big fans of bullfighters so this rage from Tumblr about the film not representing the country is making me confused.
Paul Williams music really works in the scheme of the film. out of context, the music made me a little miffed. Wondering what made it great(except for the actual film orchestration pieces with the vocals of the actors), but as a juxtaposed whole, it really works.
Finally, Jaoquin's voice didn't bother me. It reminded me of Tulio from Road to El Dorado. A subdued voice most of the time when he didn't show off, so it worked for me. Chatting Tattum delivered his role well.
Here's hoping for two more films.
Here's the Brazilian Mcdonalds toys
. Really hope a kind soul puts them on ebay.
edited 20th Oct '14 8:55:54 PM by minespatch
Just saw it tonight, I really liked it.
I think it has some flaws, but I overall liked it. Its strongest point is probably visuals/animation/art style.
I think the major issues are...
-The Framing Device: Probably a bit on the unneeded side. I get that they wanted to go with a 'Narrating a story book' angle, but I ended up with virtually no investment in the framing device and, every time it cut back to the kids, It halted everything. It may not have been for long, but the sudden stops quickly became annoying more than anything. They probably could have gotten away with just simply a narration rather than framing device.
-Checkal: Since a lot of the story is about Manolo's deal with Xibalba and correcting his mistake, Checkal got little focus and he wasn't a very compelling villain at all. I had no investment in him since he had no character and I was far more interested in Xibalba, La Muerte, and their drama over some Bandits.
-The Candle maker: I really hate to be putting him on here, but he became a bit distracting. His Pop Culture Humor was annoying, distracting, and pulled me out of the movie every time it happened. I'm not even particularly sure why he follows them into the Land of the Forgotten, he just does and spouts off his pop culture humor and didn't particularly add anything to the scenes he was in.
-Speed: Might just have been me, but I felt a bit rushed at a lot of points. Its a very snappy paced movie, but maybe just slowing down a little bit would have been nice since the movie stays full speed ahead after Manolo dies and goes to the Land of the Remembered.
Minor questions, Why did Manolo's deal go bad as though he phrased things wrong? He says "I would do anything to see her again" and Xibalba questions him exactly to make sure he chooses his words wisely, but there was nothing wrong with the way he phrased things? Also, was it just me or did Maria get over Jauqine's sexist views INCREDIBLY quickly with no dialogue resolution to it?
I want to be very clear though, I did LIKE this movie.
I'm a critical person but I'm a nice guy when you get to know me. Now, I should be writing.I don't think Chakal should really be considered a villain in the traditional sense. The fight with him is important, yeah, and he is fought in the climax, but he's really more just the thing that establishes the timeframe in the latter part of the movie, the indirect cause of some of the characters' troubles, and is very external to the plot in most other respects. In my review I compared him to an Inevitable Waterfall - while he will inevitably destroy everything, he himself is not particularly active in the plot. Another good comparison is maybe him to a walking, talking thematic Advancing Wall of Doom.
Basically to avoid this movie getting similar criticism to Thor The Dark World's use of Malekith, which it really doesn't deserve. Chakal, himself, is more of an object or Plot Device than a character - him being more developed isn't as in need as some other villains.
edited 20th Oct '14 11:44:34 PM by KnownUnknown
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I think that bit was less a matter of phrasing it wrong and more "You do realize that you're asking me to kill you, right?"
edited 20th Oct '14 11:41:25 PM by Mort08
Looking for some stories?I didn't notice "Mas" this time around (when does it play?), but I did notice he resused the "El Cucharacha plays while the main characters cause mayhem Hilarity Ensues" gag from El Tigre in the movie.
edited 20th Oct '14 11:44:48 PM by KnownUnknown
It was listed in the credits. I sat through them to see if there was a stinger and I was disappointed.
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True, but maybe something a bit more interesting then? I get that he serves a plot device for the Land of the Living while Manolo is in the Remembered, but it just wasn't an interesting climax to me. Maybe just... different 'villain' or climax? -shrug- Its not like they didn't have opportunities to make him interesting either; Why did he get the medal in the first place? Why did Xibalba take it away? Etc.
And, generally, he just sort of pales in comparison to the lands of the dead and the deities and Manolo's fight with the Bulls which further developed his character in vastly significant ways.
Its a trend I've noticed in animated movies as of late; Frozen, Box Trolls, and Bo L that they probably needed just a bit more drafting to clear some edges out.
I'm a critical person but I'm a nice guy when you get to know me. Now, I should be writing.![]()
It plays when Joaquin is showing off in the bullring towards the beginning, when he fights off the first bandit attack and when he tries fighting Chakal by himself.
It's the closest thing we have to Frozen this year.
I prefer it to Frozen as well (although it's safe to say I'd prefer anything to Frozen at this point). I think its character relationships are smarter and better handled, and I like the music more. -ducks to avoid being shot-
edited 21st Oct '14 8:29:36 AM by Mort08
Looking for some stories?Frozen was good, but not as much as everyone makes it out to be and the script still needed a good draft or two more. The first act (up until Let it Go) is great and has good pacing. But nothing ever tops Let It Go and everything else quickly slows down after and the musical numbers feel a lot less natural (except the First Time in Forever Reprise).
The Trolls are the most obvious element that either needed to be removed or severely improved upon.
I'm a critical person but I'm a nice guy when you get to know me. Now, I should be writing.

That's good to hear, and very predictable, but $17 million is still low!
Yes. I saw it.
It deserves at least a $25 million.