Fox Animation to Distribute del Toro’s <em>Book of Life</em>

Fox Animation Studios has signed on to distribute Guillermo del Toro’s forthcoming animated feature, Book of Life, formerly titled Day of the Dead. (Pixar [1] has its own Day of the Dead project in the works).

According to The Hollywood Reporter [2], Book of Life will be directed by Emmy-winning animation veteran Jorge R. Gutierrez, who, along with this wife Sandra Equihua, is the creator of Nickelodeon’s El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. Previously described as an action-packed, fully CG-animated picture with a Romeo and Juliet-style love story set against a Mexican Day of the Dead backdrop, the animation will be produced by Dallas and Los Angeles-based studio Reel FX (Turkeys [3]). The film’s release date has been set for October 10, 2014.

Fox also set a release date for director Josh Trank's The Fantastic Four sequel, which will hit theaters March 6, 2015.

Fox also has decided to release several high-profile titles in 3D, including The Wolverine (July 16, 2013), Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Aug. 16, 2013), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (May 23, 2014) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (July 18, 2014).