From its very earliest iterations, Pinocchio has never been a kid’s story. Yes, it’s about a kid, but emotionally, it deals with issues that are much more adult. And in its newest version, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro not only leans into those complex feelings, but does so in a medium where he can say so much more.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is in select theaters now but it comes to Netflix December 9. The man behind Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, and The Shape of Water teams up with Mark Gustafson to smash all conceptions of Pinocchio wide open. And, in doing so, he makes it very clear that anyone who says animated films are only for kids is just plain wrong. This brand new trailer shows just how deep del Toro is going with this story.
With his Pinocchio, del Toro has put together a dynamite cast and really pulled some more sinister themes and scenes from the original Pinocchio book by Carlo Collodi. The character “dies,” is reborn, gets used, abused, and his entire existence is predicated on Geppetto’s unimaginable grief. Nope, this is not your parent’s Pinocchio. This is not a Disney Pinocchio. This is Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and when you watch it, you better have a box of tissues.
Featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, and Tim Blake Nelson, along with Gregory Mann as Pinocchio and David Bradley as Geppetto, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio will be on Netflix December 9.
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