Guillermo del Toro is Set To Direct a PINOCCHIO Film For Netflix with The Jim Henson Company
Guillermo del Toro has had a strong creative relationship with Netflix with the animated projects that he’s developed with them over the years like Trollhunters. Now the filmmakers next major film project has been set up through them!
Del Toro will make his animated feature film directing debut with an adaptation of Pinocchio. It will be a stop-motion animated musical version of the classic children’s tale about a wooden puppet who wants to be a real live boy.
The filmmaker will also write and produce the film and this is the description of the film that was released by Variety:
The film will be set in Italy during the 1930s, a particularly fraught historical moment and a time when fascism was on the rise and Benito Mussolini was consolidating control of the country.
Del Toro previously set his films The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth against a totalitarian backdrop similar to this, but those stories were set in Franco’s Spain. Del Toro had this to say in a statement:
“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. 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.”
It’s awesome to see that Del Toro is going to get a chance to tell this story that he’s always wanted to tell. What makes this project even more exciting is the fact that he will be working with The Jim Henson Company (The Dark Crystal) on bringing the story to life. Lisa Henson, ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley, Corey Campodonico, and Gary Ungar of Exile Entertainment will produce the film.
Patrick McHale (Over The Garden Wall) will co-write the script with Del Toro and Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) will co-direct the movie. Guy Davis is set to serve as the co-production designer and the film’s puppets will be built by Mackinnon and Saunders, the team behind Corpse Bride.
Melissa Cobb, VP of kids and family at Netflix, had this to say in a statement:
“Throughout his distinguished career, Guillermo has exhibited mastery in inspiring people through his magical worlds filled with unforgettable and magnificent characters, from the monsters in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to the aquatic beast in The Shape of Water. We are incredibly excited to expand our relationship with Guillermo and we know that his deeply touching vision for bringing Pinocchio to life on Netflix will be embraced by audiences the world over.”
Production on Pinocchio will begin this fall. Are you excited about Guillermo del Toro developing a Pinocchio film with this creative ream of talented people?
The concept art above comes from a previous version of Pinocchio that Del Toro was developing years ago.