Guillermo del Toro's animated Pinocchio adaptation is coming to Netflix soon, and there's a lot to explain about the film and the story behind it. The stop-motion adaptation of the classic fairy tale has been highly anticipated, with the project being one of del Toro's passion projects. Accordingly, there are plenty of questions about Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Pinocchio movie, including its production, when it will release, and how it is different from the Disney version.
Since the original story was released in 1883, Pinocchio has become a household name, with the story of the puppet who wishes to be turned into a real boy being adapted across a variety of mediums. Disney's 1940 Pinocchio film is one of the most popular adaptations, with Disney's version receiving a live-action remake in 2022. However, this version was critically panned, with many critics comparing it to Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Netflix version, citing how much more imaginative and exciting del Toro's vision is. With the film finally coming out after years of development, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio certainly has a lot to live up to.
From watching the trailer for Pinocchio and its behind-the-scenes footage, it is clear that Guillermo del Toro's film is far more creative than some previous versions. This is no surprise, as the director's filmography is full of whimsical worlds and magical moments. Guillermo del Toro's previous films include Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Shape of Water, and more fantasy and sci-fi stories. While del Toro has made lots of incredible films, Pinocchio has been a long time coming, as the passion project has been in development for quite a while. A lot has gone into Pinocchio, and there are many reasons to be excited about the upcoming Netflix film. Here's everything that's known about Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and what audiences can expect from the production.
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Has Been In Development For 14 Years
After the release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008, Guillermo del Toro announced that his next film would be an ambitious stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio. The film was stalled due to development troubles with the canceled adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness and del Toro signing on for Pacific Rim, being the first of many delays for Pinocchio. In 2011, it was announced that Pinocchio would be directed by children's book author Gris Grimly and stop-motion animator Mark Gustafson from a script written by del Toro, with the film taking heavy inspiration from Grimly's 2002 Pinocchio book (something that is still present in the final film). Although del Toro wasn't directing, he was producing the film alongside the French production company Pathé and The Jim Henson Company. Later, del Toro took over Grimly's spot as director, and production was going fine. However, just a few years later, Pinocchio entered development hell, being overshadowed by del Toro's other more tangible and marketable projects. Nothing was heard about Pinocchio for years, with many presuming the film was dead like del Toro's many other canceled projects.
Pinocchio finally saw the light of day once again in 2017, when a new script was announced alongside del Toro's comments about the film's troubled development. At the 74th Venice International Film Festival, del Toro revealed that the film needed at least a $35 million dollar budget, with the film being officially canceled only a few months later due to this hefty production cost. Although no studios were willing to finance Pinocchio for nearly a year, Netflix stepped in and revived the film, giving del Toro his desired $35 million budget. Filming and musical composition began in early 2020, and, after another delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, del Toro's Pinocchio was finally ready to be released after 14 years of development.
Why Pinocchio Is A Passion Project For Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo del Toro has an incredible enthusiasm for every film he directs, but Pinocchio specifically has been one of his passion projects for a long time. Del Toro has even said, "No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio" (via Arthive). Del Toro clearly has a deep passion for the project, as he has continued to fight for its development after years of development hell. Due to del Toro's frequent use of fantasy, his love of dark fairy tales, and his whimsical aesthetic, Pinocchio is a perfect fit, and it is a relief that the film will finally be released after being so close to cancelation so many times.
Why Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Movie Uses Stop-Motion Animation
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio uses stop-motion animation to tell its story - and it is the perfect choice. Stop-motion gives the film an incredibly unique look and feel, separating it from the many Pinocchio adaptations that have come before. In a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, Guillermo del Toro explains exactly why his Pinocchio needs to be told through stop-motion animation (via Youtube):
"To me, there's a valuable difference between stop-motion as an art form and digital... I really wanted this movie to land in a way that had the expressiveness and the material nature of a handmade piece of animation, an artisanal, beautiful exercise in carving, painting, sculpting, but it had the sophistication of movement that research on rigs and puppetry-making have taken us to."
How Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Movie Will Be Different From Disney's
Although Disney's Pinocchio and Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio both have similar story structures, del Toro's adaptation varies from Disney's version in several big ways. Del Toro's Pinocchio significantly changes some characters from the Disney version. In del Toro's film, Jiminy Cricket is called Sebastian J. Cricket, and the Blue Fairy is called the Wood Sprite, sporting a much more mythical design than her Disney counterpart. The Fox and the Cat (Honest John and Gideon in Disney's version) has been combined with Mangiafuoco (Stromboli in Disney's version) to create a new villain named Count Volpe. Del Toro has also added several new characters, such as the Podestà, The Don, and Sprezzatura the monkey.
Compared to Disney's Pinocchio, del Toro's Pinocchio is much darker, taking place in 1930s fascist Italy. The film will see Pinocchio be turned into a soldier by the Podestà, presumably showcasing the suffering of those living under the fascist regime, paralleling themes in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. The bullying of Pinocchio by Candlewick will also be featured, something that was only briefly touched on with Lampwick in Disney's version. Another dark change is Geppetto's backstory. In del Toro's adaptation, Geppetto is a father who is grieving the loss of his son, something that can be seen in the trailer. This arc isn't present in Disney's 1940 adaptation, with del Toro adding another emotional layer to Geppetto's connection with Pinocchio. These are just some of the many differences that are sure to be apparent when Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio releases on Netflix.
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Release Date (In Theaters & Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion animated Pinocchio will release on Netflix and in theaters, although at different times. Pinocchio will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2022, with it getting a limited theatrical release in November. Shortly after, Pinocchio will be released on Netflix on December 9, 2022, allowing Guillermo del Toro's passion project to finally be viewed by wider audiences.