Netflix has released a gorgeous new trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. The film is a stop-motion animated adaptation of the classic story, co-directed by del Toro.
Netflix's new trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio opens with Sebastian J. Cricket (voiced by Ewan McGregor), who serves as the official narrator for this story. Most fans will know this character as Jiminy Cricket from the original Walt Disney animated film, but as the trailer presents, del Toro's version of the story aims to offer audiences something new.
Sebastian J. Cricket tells the audience, "You may think you know this story, but you don't," giving viewers their first hint that Netflix's adaptation of Pinocchio will stand apart from previous versions. The trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio continues with the titular character of Pinocchio as he walks the streets in amazement. Townsfolk look upon him with shock, as one person exclaims, "What is that?" But these simple folk are in for an even bigger surprise when Pinocchio speaks, calling out to his "papa," Geppetto (David Bradley), the woodcarver who created him.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio will be the second recent feature film adaptation of the classic children's story in 2022. The first is the live-action Pinocchio remake for Disney Plus starring Tom Hanks. Directed by Forrest Gump's Robert Zemeckis, the film premiered on Disney Plus on September 8th, 2022. Despite becoming the 8th most-watched title on the platform upon its release, the live-action adaptation was met with a fairly negative response from audiences and critics alike. The film is just the latest effort from Disney to produce live-action adaptations of some of their classic animated films. Other recent examples include The Jungle Book in 2016, as well as Beauty and the Beast in 2017.
Del Toro has been developing a Pinocchio adaptation since at least 2008. The award-winning filmmaker is best known for his dark fantasy films, including the 2018 Best Picture winner The Shape Of Water and the Spanish language fantasy-horror film Pan's Labyrinth, which helped make the director a household name. Del Toro co-wrote the Pinocchio script with screenwriters Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins, and he shares a directing credit with animator Mark Gustafson.
While del Toro's Pinocchio adaption will premiere months after the live-action Disney film, the stop-motion adaptation is already generating a lot of buzz from early screenings, and from the look of this new trailer, the film will likely take a more artistic and unique approach to the source material than previous adaptations.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio will screen in select theaters on November 11th before being released on Netflix on December 9th, 2022.
Source: Netflix | Youtube