Guillermo Del Toro has revealed why his upcoming Pinocchio film had to be a Stop-Motion project. Based on the 1883 Italian children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, by author Carlo Collodi, Del Toro has made a few creative changes to the tale, which will now be set in 1930s Mussolini-led Fascist Italy. The film, which focuses on the mischievous titular puppet as he navigates the world, will have a theatrical release in November before landing on streaming services in December, and is a darker take on the story compared to the familiar Disney film from 1940, which also recently had a remake. The live-action of Disney’s Pinocchio received negative reviews, whereas Del Toro’s version is still anticipated to be a huge success due to its differences from the other versions, as well as the creator’s history of beautiful surrealist storytelling.
From the writer-director known for Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and Nightmare Alley, Del Toro’s Pinocchio is backed by a stellar cast of famous voices. Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton are all set to star, with David Bradley as the woodcarver Geppetto. One main difference in this version of the tale is the addition of Geppetto’s late son Carlo, who tragically passed away a few years before the puppet maker crafts Pinocchio. Del Toro has commented in previous interviews that the wood puppet is made from the tree that sprouts at Carlo’s grave, thus when Geppetto begs to have the chance to be a father again, Pinocchio is given the gift of life. He further explained that Geppetto’s main conflict is that he just wanted his well-behaved son back, not this wild, boisterous puppet that doesn’t listen.
Whilst chatting to IndieWire, Del Toro explained why his new version of this well-loved story had to be Stop-Motion, as it was the perfect format to tell it in. After more than 15 years working on this passion project, whose process has been seen in previous promotional images, the main reason behind choosing Stop-Motion appears to be that he believes the “perfectly imperfect” process of this type of animation makes the film appear more realistic than the smooth animation styles used today. Puppets are made with errors crafted in, and Del Toro did the same whilst telling this story. He went on to comment:
“Everyone is a puppet. Being animated makes the existence of Pinocchio completely naturalistic the way you’re telling the tale. I’m surprised, happy, that it hasn’t been tackled like that before. It comes so naturally to the tale.”
How Stop-Motion Fits Pinocchio’s Story
Beauty in volatility is an adequate theme of puppetry, they are prone to break, to lack the realism of a human being, and to take a few attempts to perfect. By building these quirks into the animation style used in Pinocchio, Del Toro has found a new way to represent these messages in the film, not just in reference to the wooden child who wants to be a real boy. By adding his unique touch to the project, as teased in trailers showing a stranger world, Del Toro has once again captured the splendor of the flawed, something that is a running premise throughout his filmography.
The story of Pinocchio demands a handmade feel, with Stop-Motion acting as the perfect solution to this. The long hours spent moving the figures inch by inch have made this film a true labor of love, and a long-anticipated release. This project has not always had a rosy future, at one point it was reported that production stopped completely, with Del Toro confirming that it was no longer going ahead. Thankfully this was short-lived, the success of the director’s work, including his Oscar winnings for The Shape of Water has made him an incredibly attractive talent to have on any film, the hype for Pinocchio is no longer felt by just the die-hard Del Toro fans, but those who have seen his more global hits.
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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Release Date:2022-12-09
