Netflix Drops Early Teaser For Guillermo del Toro’s Stop-Motion ‘Pinocchio’

While fans wait for Disney to release their live-action version of Pinocchio this fall, directed by Robert Zemekis and starring Tom Hanks, Guillermo del Toro’s version of the classic story of a wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy is arriving this December.

Despite coming to Netflix a few months after the Disney movie, del Toro’s stop-motion musical version of the story has beaten Disney to the punch by releasing its first look at the movie in the form of a teaser trailer that introduces audiences to Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket.

With the combined efforts of the Jim Henson Company, ShadowMachine and del Toro, this has the potential to be a beautifully crafted animated film. And with its impressive voice cast, featuring 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 has already worked with Netflix producing an animated Trollhunters series, and will debut  Cabinet of Curiosities, a new horror anthology, later this year on the streamer. Now with the addition of Pinocchio, this visionary director has the chance to make his mark in stop-motion animation.

“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,” the director said in 2018 when the movie was announced by Netflix.

“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. After the incredible experience we have had on Trollhunters, I am grateful that the talented team at Netflix is giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to introduce audiences everywhere to my version of this strange puppet-turned-real-boy.”

As reported, Disney is also releasing a live-action version of their own Pinocchio animated feature, another in the long line of remakes Disney has been recycling. But there is no doubt that the Guillermo del Toro’s version will be unique enough that it isn’t overshadowed by Disney’s remake.