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Guillermo del Toro to Produce an Animated 'Day of the Dead' Feature

by Ethan Anderton
February 21, 2012

In any given year, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has a plethora of projects in development as a director and producer. Currently he's busy working on Pacific Rim and there's still that stop-motion animated Pinnochio and new take on The Haunted Mansion coming. Just recently we learned that del Toro had been lined up to direct a new spin on Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson in the lead role, but now the filmmaker has a new producing gig as well.  A press release from Reel FX reveals that del Toro will produce a computer animated film called Day of the Dead, a romance with quite a unique backdrop. More below!

Set against the Mexican "Day of the Dead" celebrations, the film is described as a Romeo and Juliet style romance, but with plenty of action as well. The press release points out that this is the first time del Toro has returned to a Mexican setting since Cronos back in 1993. Apparently the music in the film is going to be quite as important as well with Reel FX pointing out that the soundtrack will feature an international roster of A-list recording artists performing new songs along with some reimaginations of well known tunes also. My fingers are crossed for Rodrigo y Gabriela to get involved.

Directing the film will be Emmy winner Jorge R. Gutierrez, responsible for the Nickelodeon cartoon series "El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera," and del Toro sounds excited about working with him:

"I have admired Jorge's work for a long time. He has a unique aesthetic and sense of humor. 'Day of the Dead' offers a perfect opportunity for his sensibilities to shine.  This is a colorful, vibrant, vital fable that utilizes the animation medium in an incredible way. The object of the tale is not only to talk about life but to dazzle us - jolt us- into living to the fullest.  To join Reel FX, Cary Granat and Jorge in this adventure is a privilege and a joy."

Knowing del Toro's penchant for fantasy and the supernatural mixing with familiar genre stories and characters, this animated feature will likely be much more than the logline implies. It's not the first time del Toro is diving into computer animated feature films as he served as executive producer on both Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2, but this time the material seems much suitable to del Toro's style and storytelling preferences. Currently the project is scheduled for release sometime in 2014, so it will be awhile before we can catch a glimpse of the animation style. Stay tuned.

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