Del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ Debuts First Stop-Motion Footage, Netflix Sets December Release
Netflix has announced the director’s stop-motion, musical adaptation of Pinocchio is set for release in December 2022.
Oscar winner del Toro co-directs this long-in-the-works passion project with Mark Gustafson. To mark the date announcement, Netflix unveiled a brief teaser with the first footage of Ewan McGregor voicing Cricket.
Starring opposite McGregor in Pinocchio is David Bradley as Geppetto, Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton.
Del Toro’s adaptation is set in Italy during the 1930s, a time when fascism is on the rise and Mussolini is consolidating control of the country.
“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,” del Toro said when the film was greenlit in 2018.
“In our story, Pinocchio is an innocent soul with an uncaring father who gets lost in a world he cannot comprehend. He embarks on an extraordinary journey that leaves him with a deep understanding of his father and the real world. I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember.”
“Pinocchio” is del Toro’s first feature directorial effort for Netflix, which continues to draw some of the world’s top filmmaking talent.
The streaming giant and del Toro already have a relationship as the director produced Netflix’s Emmy award-winning television series “Trollhunters” and more.
Watch the first teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” in the video below.