There's no denying that actor Ron Perlman knows how to transform both physically and emotionally for a role. He's played Vincent in 1987's TV version of "Beauty and the Beast," comic book roles as the titular character in "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," a black marketeer, Hannibal Chau, in "Pacific Rim" and a biker-gang godfather in the FX television series "Sons of Anarchy."

Now, he's temporarily leaving the prosthetics and makeup behind and lending his voice to the character, Xibalba, in Guillermo del Toro and Jorge Gutierrez's beautifully animated film, "The Book of Life." The 20th Century Fox and Reel FX film, which is inspired by the vibrant and folkloric Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead, is due out in theaters Oct. 17.

In addition to Perlman, "The Book of Life" stars Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Christina Applegate, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Kate del Castillo and Eugenio Derbez.

To further drum up excitement for the film, which has included the recent release of its second trailer, Perlman shared his insight on making the film with his Twitter followers through #AskRonPerlman.

"How was 'The Book of Life' different from any voice acting that you have done?" iTunes Trailers tweeted.

"The thing that differentiates one project from another is the scope of imagination employed," Perlman tweeted. "'Book of Life' is as unique and original a world I have ever seen explored on film."

"The Book of Life" is based on the journey of the lovable Manolo (Luna) who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. He and the charming Joaquin (Tatum), who's the musle-flexing, "town hot shot," vie for Maria's (Saldana's) attention.

In the meantime, the spirits, La Muerte (del Castillo) and Xibalba (Perlman) place a wager on who will win Maria's heart. When it appears that Maria has fallen for Manolo, Xibalba doesn't want to lose the bet, so he sends a snake to kill Manolo, in the hopes that she will fall for Joaquin instead.

In order to return to the human world, Manolo must travel through three fantasy worlds -- the Lands of the Living, the Remembered and the Forgotten -- to return to his true love.

Another interesting tidbit about the sprits La Muerte and Xibalba -- they are married. Perlman had some fun when answering questions about the sinister duo.

"Tell us about your character Xibalba and his wife, La Muerte. Not your typical married couple, are they?"

"No, they are two spirits that have been around for a few thousand years," he explained on Twitter. "Their ways of spicing up their marriage are rather perverse and challenging ... They are a delicious blend of devil may care and joi de vivre."

Did Perlman know much about the Day of the Dead celebrations before "The Book of Life?"

"I learned about the Day of the Dead, along with so much other Mexican folklore upon working on Guillermo's film in Mexico City in 1991," he said via Twitter.

"Is it harder to get into character when voice acting, or doing live action?"

"Certainly not hard to get into character for voice acting," he tweeted. "A little bit more challenging for live action."

Del Toro, who has extensively collaborated with Perlman, is best known for his"Spanish-language" dark fantasy pieces," such as "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth," as well as more mainstream American action movies such as the Hellboy series and last year's "Pacific Rim." He's also produced the animated films "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots."

When asked what it was like to collaborate with Del Toro, Perlman responded, "Pure joy. One of the most fun, most adolescently challenged individuals you could want to share O2 with."

Perlman is also starring in Amazon Studios' "Hand of God," directed by "World War Z" helmsman Marc Forster. He plays Judge Harris, who unlawfully seeks to bring to justice a rapist who destroyed his family life, and as a result, he listens to "messages from God."

"Hand of God" is a part of the Amazon Studios' Pilot Seasons where viewers vote on a selection of pilots and in turn they get a chance to be green lit for a full series.

Check out second official trailer for "The Book of Life," which hits theaters Oct. 17, just in time for Halloween!