Guillermo del Toro has shared his thoughts on the fact that his upcoming film Pinocchio will be the third adaptation of the classic Carlo Collodi children's book to come out in 2022. The stop-motion project will be del Toro's first directorial venture into animation after producing the various animated series in Netflix's Trollhunters universe. This version of Pinocchio will present a darker version than general audiences are used to seeing, set in the Fascist Italy of the 1930s. The star-studded voice cast of the film will include Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard.
Strangely, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is just one of three Pinocchio-related feature films to be released this year, each of which is presented in a different medium. The stop-motion Pinocchio - which drops on Netflix on December 9 - will be the last to come out, following the other two titles, both of which were poorly received by critics and audiences alike. The first to be released was the Russian 3D-animated film Pinocchio: A True Story, the English dub of which stars Pauly Shore, Jon Heder, and SpongeBob SquarePants star Tom Kenny. The second was Robert Zemeckis' live-action Pinocchio remake, a Disney+ exclusive project that featured Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket.
Screen Rant had the opportunity to sit down with del Toro for an exclusive interview. During the conversation, the director reflected on the fact that there are so many Pinocchio movies this year. He asserted that his version of the story is completely its own thing, of a piece with his more adult-oriented fantasy tales like Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone, so this situation is more of a "joyful moment of coincidence, and you're never in competition." Read his full quote below:
I think that any coincidence like that, or any convergence like that, it's okay. Because I think that it's a tale that can be told so many times in such different ways. And that's one of the reasons why I felt I was okay with the possessory credit because this is not only something that I've been carrying for almost two decades, but it also tells people, "Look, this is going to be of a piece with Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth."
It's not a movie made for kids, but it is a movie that can be watched by the family. And he has a very sweet heart, as you saw in the footage, but it is something that is going to distinguish itself from the other versions of the tale. It has a point of view that is very, very specific. When you think like that, I mean, then you are in a joyful moment of coincidence, and you're never in competition.
Why Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Movie Is Different Than The Others
Even for those who have seen both of the other Pinocchio entries from this year, there are still plenty of factors that make del Toro's film special. In addition to the specificity of its setting and the stop-motion animation, this Pinocchio will likely provide audiences with del Toro's signature blend of tone. He already referenced his own films The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, but the director's penchant for dark fantasy can also be seen in projects like his Best Picture-winning The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley, and even Hellboy.
This version of Pinocchio will likely be an intense experience, if his comparison holds true. The director has proven to have an inimitable vision for juxtaposing childlike wonder with the realities of adult life, including graphic violence and sexuality. This time around, this will probably be evoked in the realities of Mussolini's Italy that play out around the classic fairy tale.
