The Book of Life

Inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, this animated tale follows troubadour Manolo (Diego Luna) through the Lands of the Living, the Dead and the Forgotten, driven by his love for local beauty Maria (Zoë Saldana). Channing Tatum voices Manolo's bumptious pal Joaquin, who also aims to make Maria his wife, and he ups the laugh count by striving to prove his macho credentials. Writer/director Jorge R Gutierrez keeps the story simple, but tackles the subject of death with glorious gusto, never patronising younger viewers and using humour to lighten the darker passages without falling back on postmodern gags. Predating Pixar's thematically similar Coco, this boasts vivid characters and incredible psychedelic landscapes and it effortlessly transports you to other worlds.