I was so lucky and blessed to get to attend a sneak peak for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a film that I am exuberantly excited about. In this over two hour segment, we got to see many different behind-the-scenes looks at the costuming, puppet-making, and miraculous set designs which all looked about as top-notch as they could be.

We also got to hear from writer/director Guillermo del Toro himself as he talked about what drew him to do Pinocchio. He mentioned his love for the character, stating that Pinocchio, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, and Tarzan could be metaphors for almost anything; Frankenstein and Pinocchio were the two most important films in his childhood.

The Story

Knowing there have been quite a number of iterations del Toro wanted to change things up with his adaptation to create a more personalized version. He talked about some of the changes, mentioning how this version of Pinocchio would dive in to disobedience more than obedience and that the character with the most significant character arc wouldn’t be Pinocchio, but Gepetto. Del Toro also made it known that this would be a version of Pinocchio that would dive into the idea of death, noting that this won’t be a movie just for kids, but will be one that should spark a conversation with your kids.

Production Stills & Behind The Scenes

It was interesting to learn some of the behind the scenes techniques. This film was shot for the better part of 1000 days as they constantly did reshoots and even, at del Toro’s request, animated mistakes to make it feel more real. Many different sized sets and puppets had to come together to ensure that the scale was always correct and to make this something magical.

The Trailer

My Thoughts on What I Saw

I was able to see only the first eight minutes, as there is still final color grading and other tasks that need to be completed, but the first eight were special already. Alexandre Desplat’s beautiful score fills the atmosphere and this version already does what most Pinocchio‘s have never done: shown Gepetto with the son he lost.

The animation is gorgeous and the puppets all flow as humanly as possible. There is an original song very early on, and I think there will be quite a bit of them sprinkled throughout, including del Toro’s songwriting debut, “Ciao Papa,” which will be entered for Oscars consideration. All in all, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has the look and feel that it is made by one of the greatest living filmmakers, an artist who cares about cinema more than most do.

About the Film

Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
Writers: Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale
Producers: Guillermo del Toro, Lisa Henson (Jim Henson Company), Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley, and Corey Campodonico (Shadow Machine) 
Executive Producer: Jason Lust
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Production Designer: Guy Davis
Co Production Designer: Curt Enderle
Art Director: Robert DeSue
Animation Supervisor: Brian Leif Hansen
Director of Photography: Frank Passingham
Director of Character Fabrication: Georgina Hayns
Editor: Ken Schretzmann ACE, Holly Klein
Cast: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor,  David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman
Synopsis: Academy Award®-winning director Guillermo del Toro and award winning, stop-motion legend Mark Gustafson reimagine the classic Carlo Collodi tale of the fabled wooden boy with a whimsical tour de force that finds Pinocchio on an enchanted adventure that transcends worlds and reveals the life-giving power of love.

Check out the Newest Poster for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio will be on Netflix on December 9, and in select theaters in November.