Guillermo del Toro’s New Film Pinocchio Is a Heartfelt Masterpiece

Guillermo del Toro proudly presents his decade-long passion project, Pinocchio, at the AFI Film Festival. This stop-motion animated film premiered on November 5 with raving reviews.

From Disney’s animated film to its live-action counterpart, Pinocchio has transcended many mediums for decades. Now, del Toro reimagines the tale with stop-motion animation, creating a magical and whimsical experience for its audiences. 

GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO is a remarkable cinematic wonder from a master storyteller. This dark retelling of the relationship between a father & son emotionally resonates deeper than any previous version. Superbly crafted with love & care from all departments. A pure joy. pic.twitter.com/VvwlvkOEz7

— Matt Neglia @AFIFest (@NextBestPicture) November 6, 2022

The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival on November 5. Pinocchio was co-directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, who was featured as the animation director for Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. The screenplay was written by del Toro (Cabinet of Curiosities), Patrick McHale (Adventure Time), and Matthew Robbins (Crimson Peak).

In addition, Pinocchio features voices from Gregory Mann (Pinocchio), Ewan McGregor (Kenobi), Finn Wolfhard (It), and Tilda Swinton (Narnia). Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard graced the festival’s red carpet, proudly holding del Toro’s treasured Pinocchio puppet. 

Life is such a wonderful gift! Finn Wolfhard joined me on the carpet for our AFI premiere of #PinocchioMovie. pic.twitter.com/65dMLbtdOU

— Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (@pinocchiomovie) November 6, 2022

Guillermo del Toro is known for using magical realism in his filmography, balancing fantasy and reality. Pan’s Labyrinth takes place in Falangist, Spain, where a little girl ends up in a fairy tale world. The Devil’s Backbone was set in the final year of the Spanish Civil War in a haunted boy’s orphanage. Del Toro’s Pinocchio is no different. 

After being built by a heartbroken father, the wooden puppet comes to life in 1930s Fascist Italy. Although the story reveals grim historical themes, Pinocchio is a heartwarming tale about a father’s love and his son trying to find his place in the world.

Critics have hailed Pinocchio as an animated masterpiece. According to Slash Film, Hannah Shaw-Williams writes, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio brings weirdness, darkness, and joyfulness to Carlo Collodi’s tale of the little wooden puppet.”

Polygon describes Pinocchio as “technically and artistically, one of the great works of stop motion, a rarefied and quixotic art form.”

Guillermo del Toro’s PINOCCHIO is unlike any version you’ve ever seen before. A master work by a master. A technical marvel and one of the most emotionally resonant films of the year. I lost count at how many times I cried. It’s stunning. #pinocchiomovie pic.twitter.com/fdh7aygBVp

— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) November 6, 2022

Del Toro had always wanted to use stop-motion animation for his rendition of Pinocchio. He refused to use any other medium. He claims, “It was very pertinent for me to make a story about a puppet with puppets, and the puppets believe they are not puppets.” As a result, del Toro believed stop-motion animation would make the film thematically perfect.

Furthermore, the fantasy director defined the importance of animation at the BFI London Film Festival. “We wanted to show animation is not a genre for kids, it’s a medium. Animation is film. Animation is art. And it can tell stories that are gorgeous & complex,” del Toro stated.

Additionally, the award-winning filmmaker showcased the laborious and mesmerizing process of stop-motion animation in an exclusive clip by Netflix.

Academy Award® winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro takes you inside the stop-motion magic behind his Pinocchio! #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/B63Z1GrjuN

— Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (@pinocchiomovie) September 24, 2022

At the AFI Film Festival, del Toro spoke about how personal this passion project was to him. His mother introduced him to the mischievous puppet when he was a child. He recalled, “I’d collect artifacts from Pinocchio… My mother and I saw it together when I was very young, and she kept giving me Pinocchios all through my life.”

Pinocchio will be released on Netflix on December 9. In the meantime, fans can stream his Netflix horror anthology series, Cabinet of Curiosities. Watch Guillermo del Toro’s trailer for Pinocchio down below.