Guillermo del Toro teases stop-motion Pinocchio movie for Netflix

Guillermo del Toro has teased some of the themes and messages in his upcoming stop-motion animation of the Italian fairytale Pinocchio for Netflix.

The film, which will star Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton, is tracking for a 2021 release.

Del Toro is known for directing Pan’s Labyrinth, the Oscar-winning Shape of Water and Crimson Peak.

Asked by The Guardian whether the film will be a ‘Frankenstein story’, the director replied: ‘To me, they’re not exactly the same, but they’re similar.

‘They are both creatures that are created and thrown into a world that they have to figure out on their own.’

Sounds intriguing.

‘They both have a moral, spiritual journey,’ he continued. ‘I thought Pinocchio could be a great opportunity to talk about disobedience. Obedience isn’t a virtue, it’s a burden.

‘Disobedience is the seed of reason – it’s a desirable way to gain your own soul. I thought this could be an interesting background for Pinocchio, if we set it during the rise of Mussolini – an interesting time for a puppet that refuses to obey.’

Benito Mussolini was the fascist leader of Italy from 1925 to 1945.

Cate Blanchett, Christopher Waltz and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard have also been cast in the movie. Which, all things considered, is a very, very cool cast.

Pinocchio was famously made into a hit Disney movie in 1940. The studio actually have a remake in the works, with Tom Hanks playing Gepetto… Well, we are living in an age of comparison!

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