Jorge Gutierrez Talks ‘Book of Life’ In Hour-Long Podcast

Jorge Gutierrez, the director of Fox’s The Book of Life, spoke at length about the film’s background and production to the website Del Toro Con. At the very least, the film promises to be the most personal and distinctive-looking major studio CG feature of 2014.

In the nearly hour-long podcast, which can be heard here, Jorge races through a multitude of topics including his personal source of inspiration for The Book of Life, his relationship with producer Guillermo del Toro, how he ensured his distinctive art style was maintained throughout the CG animation process, where the heart of a movie can be found (“Whoever suffers the most, that’s the main character of the movie”), and the three movies that his dad made him watch when he was nine years old to understand good filmmaking.

I’ve known Jorge for years, and he has an uncanny ability to convey his passion for ideas so that you become as big a believer in his stories as him. That infectious enthusiasm comes across clearly in this interview because after I was done listening to it, I was ready to run out to the nearest theater to see The Book of Life. The film opens in the United States on October 17th.