Guillermo del Toro Returns to Mexico with an Animated Epic, 'Day of the Dead'

Guillermo del Toro will produce a new animated movie for Reel FX, titled "Day of the Dead." The  CG-animated picture, directed by Emmy award-winner Jorge R. Gutierrez ("El Tigre"), is set for a fall 2014 release.

This isn't del Toro's first stab at animation; he produced 2012 Oscar nominee "Puss in Boots" as well as "Kung Fu Panda 2." However, it does mark the first time in almost 20 years -- since "Cronos," in 1993 -- that he has collaborated on a feature set in Mexico.

Reel FX bills the film as "a 'Romeo and Juliet' style love story set against a Mexican 'Day of the Dead' backdrop."

"I have admired Jorge's work for a long time," del Toro said in a statement. "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."