Over a month after the first proper glimpse was given at the film, Netflix announces Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio streaming release date. Co-written and co-directed by del Toro, the movie will be a retelling of the titular wooden puppet who struggles between his desire for adventure and dreams of being a nice boy. Del Toro's Pinocchio is described as a darker take on Carlo Collodi's iconic fantasy tale, while also incorporating a musical element to its plot.
Del Toro has assembled a star-studded cast for Pinocchio, some of whom include Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton. Development on the film was first announced in 2008 but languished in development hell for over a decade until Netflix eventually acquired the rights to the project and would begin producing it with The Jim Henson Company, with whom they'd previously partnered on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and BoJack Horseman producers ShadowMachine. Production on del Toro's Pinocchio would run throughout 2020 and after multiple release date shifts, audiences now know when they can see his take on the story.
With just a few months remaining in the year, Netflix has revealed Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio streaming release date. The stop-motion adaptation of the classic fairytale will begin streaming on December 9. The movie is also set to hit select theaters in November, a specific date which Netflix has yet to announce.
News of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio streaming date comes half a year after the first teaser trailer showed off Ewan McGregor's Sebastian J. Cricket, a twist on the fan-favorite Jiminy Cricket character from Disney's animated Pinocchio movie, who was simply named The Talking Cricket in the source material. Said teaser trailer was also paired with the news that the stop-motion Pinocchio would make its streaming debut sometime in December, just in time for both the holiday season, as well as awards season. What will be interesting to see is when del Toro's Pinocchio will hit theaters, as well as whether Netflix will try and capitalize on it technically being a family film to try a rare wide theatrical release, or if they will stick with their usual limited rollout.
Interestingly, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio movie marks just one of three adaptations of Collodi's fairy tale coming to screens this year, with this March seeing the release of the Russian-produced Pinocchio: A True Story, which became a viral sensation after the first trailer was mocked by audiences for Pauly Shore's voice work in the titular role. Next month will see the arrival of Robert Zemeckis' live-action Pinocchio movie, which has some excited for the director's reunion with star Tom Hanks, while others have taken to questioning a need for another live-action Disney remake. If the prior two adaptations are not to one's liking, audiences can at least look forward to del Toro's Pinocchio hitting Netflix on December 9.
Source: Netflix