There have been some amazing stop-motion animated movies released while I have been alive on this earth. And now, a master of horror and fantasy is going to be adding his own to the mix in the form of Pinocchio. That’s right, Guillermo del Toro’s vision of the famous fairytale is finally going to be coming to life soon on Netflix as part of the 2022 movie schedule.
But with more news coming out about this film, one might be wondering who's in the cast, or what the story will be about. Look no further, because we have some quick things about the upcoming Netflix movie that you’ll want to know as soon as possible, starting with when we'll see Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Will Release In December 2022 On Netflix
It feels like this film has been in development for forever, but fortunately, we have some news on when this movie will debut. According to a new trailer that was released in July 2022, the new Pinocchio film directed by Guillermo del Toro will release in select theaters in November 2022, and release on Netflix in December.
While there is no specific date of when in December, we can at least be thankful that this can be added to the 2022 Netflix movies, and it's surely one to look out for.
Pinocchio Has A Star-Studded Cast Including Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, And More
If you’ve already watched the trailer at this point – and if you haven’t, you’ll find it below – you might have recognized that familiar voice behind Sebastian J. Cricket. That’s right, it’s Ewan McGregor who plays the little voice of wisdom for Pinocchio in the movie. And featured in the trailer are several other stars whose voices you may recognize.
The Pinocchio cast list is stacked with stars. According to Deadline, several big names have signed on to the stop motion film, such as David Bradley (from the Game of Thrones cast) as Gepetto, Finn Wolfhard (who was recently in Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021) as Lampwick, Cate Blanchett (who was a part of the Don’t Look Up cast in 2021) as Sprezzatura the Monkey, Tilda Swinton as the Fairy with Turquoise Hair, John Turturro as Master Cherry, Christoph Waltz as the Fox, and more.
You might be wondering who might be playing the titular character, and that’s newcomer Gregory Mann, per the Deadline article. The little boy will have his first big role in Hollywood voicing Pinocchio.
With a cast list like this, and a great production team behind the scenes, how can this movie not be amazing?
Del Toro Is Teaming Up With Mark Gustafson To Direct Pinocchio
While many know who Guillermo del Toro is thanks to some of his big-time hits, such as the dark fantasy movie, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Hellboy and more, he's teaming up with a big-shot in animation to see that Pinocchio is done right, and his partner is Mark Gustafson.
Gustafson, who has worked for a long time in the animation industry, is most known for being the animation director of Fantastic Mr. Fox, another fun stop-motion animation movie with an amazing cast.
This partnership has been one that has been going on for some time - dating all the way back to 2012, per IndieWire - so here’s hoping that he and del Toro are going to bring this wonderful fairy tale to life perfectly.
Alexandre Desplat Will Write The Score For Pinocchio
That name might sound quite familiar to you. Pinocchio already has an amazing cast, and some awesome people behind the scenes. All it really needed was a brilliant composer, and del Toro got that in the form of Alexandre Desplat.
Desplat has written the scores to some very famous movies. Two of his best, written for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water (which del Toro directed as well) won him the Academy Award for Best Score, but he’s written the music for many films that you might recall.
Some of his most notable scores include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 & 2, The Golden Compass, Rise of the Guardians, Zero Dark Thirty, Isle of Dogs, Moonrise Kingdom, The King’s Speech, and most recently, the latest addition to Wes Anderson’s films, The French Dispatch.
Truly, he’s a pro at what he does, and as someone who loves many of his scores (I still cry when listening to "Severus and Lily" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2), I can’t wait to see what he produces for his second collaboration with Guillermo del Toro.
Pinocchio Will Be A Stop-Motion Adaptation Of The Classic Fairytale
Disney+ is also working on a new adaptation of the fairytale, but the streaming platform’s upcoming Pinocchio will be live-action, starring Tom Hanks and several other stars. As mentioned earlier here, Pinocchio is going to be a stop-motion animated movie.
This means that it will join the ranks of other famous stop-motion movies such as Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, and more. I’ve always been a huge fan of this style of animation, so to see something like Pinocchio use the technique is so cool.
According to the movie’s description, the main premise of this version of the story is that it will follow the titular character, Pinocchio, as he searches for his place in the world, taking him on a wild adventure.
Del Toro Compares His Version Of Pinocchio To That Of Frankenstein
While the premise of this movie is already interesting enough, del Toro, in an interview with Collider, said that he compares his version of Pinocchio to that of the classic monster movie, Frankenstein, and noted it’s always been a passion project of his:
It’s a very very very personal movie for me. The flip-side for me has always been Pinocchio and Frankenstein are the same story. Because essentially, that’s the same story. The idea of a Pinocchio that talks about things that I consider very deep but it’s fun and it’s a musical at the same time, I find it really incredibly moving.
When the film was still in production, Del Toro spoke passionately about what he was making:
It’s as personal as it gets, as moving as it gets. It’s unlike any version of the story you’ve ever seen. It’s completely unlike it. It subverts the moral underpinnings of the original fable, which is, in order to be a real boy you have to change. You’re going to become flesh and blood. This is about becoming a real boy by acting...acting like a real human, period.
And now, with the latest trailer already out, it’s looking like we’re going to get to see his version of the fairytale soon enough. Can I make a deal with God and just wish for December to come quicker? I need to see this movie sooner. Where’s my time machine?
Watch The Trailer For Pinocchio!
If you haven’t seen the trailer for Pinocchio yet, be sure to check it out down below:
Which part of this movie are you excited for the most? I know that as soon as it’s available to watch, I’m going to stream it, and probably love the heck out of it. But until then, I must be patient.
