The Book of Life (soundtrack): History and Key Facts

The Book of Life is a 2014 animated musical fantasy comedy film directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and DreamWorks Animation, and distributed by 20th Century Fox, featuring the voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldaña, and Channing Tatum with supporting roles by Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, and Kate del Castillo.

The film's original music is composed by Gustavo Santaolalla in his first animated film composition. The film featured several pop singles incorporated into the soundtrack, from artists including Café Tacuba, Rod Stewart, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo. Besides, two original songs were written for the film, by songwriter Paul Williams. The recording of the musical score began by July 2014 at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London, England. Unlike his previous films, using guitar notes for the scores, Santaolalla adapted for traditional and ethnic instrumentation, by using mostly Mexican music instruments. The score consisted of various genres: symphony, ethnic, folklore, rock, pop and ballad.

The Book of Life (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) featuring the pop songs, were released through September 26, 2014 through iTunes and digital streaming platforms, followed by a physical release on October 10. Santaolalla's score album was released separately as The Book of Life (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on October 24. The original release had 29 tracks, and the complete score album consisting of 60 tracks, were released as a part of For Your Consideration album for the award season, and did not have a general release. The score received positive critical response, praising Santaolalla's compositions, the Mexican music and the incorporated pop songs.

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