Skip to main content

Netflix debuts the teaser for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

How well do you know the story of Pinocchio? Thanks to the success of Walt Disney’s animated Pinocchio film, the tale of a wooden boy who was brought to life has continued to be popular 139 years after Carlo Collodi published his novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio. Disney is even releasing a live-action Pinocchio remake for Disney+ in September. However, Netflix has a Pinocchio film of its own from director Guillermo del Toro. This stop-motion animated remake has long been a passion project for del Toro. And as the teaser trailer warns, you may think you know the story, but there are new secrets to reveal.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix

Perhaps the biggest departure from Disney’s Pinocchio is the notion that Geppetto (David Bradley) is a grieving father who once had a son of his own. The trailer implies that Pinocchio’s soul is borrowed from someone else and that he was made from a tree that grew near the grave of Geppetto’s late son. Getting a second chance to be a father would be a dream come true for Geppetto, if Pinocchio could just stay out of trouble. And Pinocchio’s famously loose relationship with the truth will only make his nose grow longer and longer.

There are no strings on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ewan McGregor narrates the trailer as Sebastian J. Cricket, and he leads a cast that includes Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Christoph Waltz as Count Volpe, Tilda Swinton as the Fairy with Turquoise Hair, Finn Wolfhard as Candlewick, Ron Perlman as the Podestà, and Cate Blanchett as Sprezzatura the Monkey. Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, and John Turturro also have undisclosed roles in the film.

Del Toro co-directed the film with Mark Gustafson, and co-wrote the script with Patrick McHale. Pinocchio will get a limited theatrical release in November to qualify for the Oscars. It will then premiere on Netflix in December. However, the exact dates have not yet been revealed.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
The Addams Family sends Wednesday to Nevermore in Netflix’s new teaser
Jenna Ortega in Wednesday.

It's been 23 years since The Addams Family had their own live-action TV show. However, Netflix is putting the spotlight on a single member of the family in its upcoming series, Wednesday. Yes, it's true: America's favorite Goth girl is going solo. But if the first teaser trailer for Wednesday is any indication, Wednesday Addams hasn't lost her edge. Just ask the local high school swimming team who dared to harass her brother. Wednesday's response to their cruelty involves trapping the swimmers in a pool with hungry piranhas.

Wednesday Addams | Official Teaser | Netflix

Read more
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities receives trailer and release date
Logo for Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Guillermo del Toro is one of the most imaginative creators in entertainment. The Oscar-winning director is a master of fairy tales and horror, so it's appropriate that his next project will air during the Halloween season. The latest creation from the mastermind himself is titled Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

The anthology includes eight horror stories that promise to be equal parts sinister and scary. Cabinet of Curiosities will stream on Netflix starting October 25 with two episodes. Two more episodes will debut daily through October 28. In a clip released by Netflix, del Toro's mission as creator of the series is to show that the world is "beautiful and horrible at exactly the same time."

Read more
Cinematographer Dan Laustsen on creating Nightmare Alley’s noir look
An "Oscars Week" badge on a still from 'Nightmare Alley.'

If you've seen a visually stunning horror movie in the last 20 years, Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen probably had something to do with it. The cinematographer has been one of the unsung leading creative forces in the horror genre, among many others, for the past 25 years. From Mimic to Brotherhood of the Wolf to Silent Hill, Laustsen has brought to life nightmarish visions of otherworldly creatures and ghostly landscapes.

It's fitting that Guillermo del Toro, a frequent collaborator of Laustsen's, brought him on board to bring to life the noir world of Nightmare Alley. From seedy carnivals to surreal funhouses to the imposing Art Deco cityscape of 1940s Buffalo, Laustsen imbues each scene with color and shadow to convey Stan, the film's lead character, slow descent into murder and madness. Nominated for an Academy Award this year for Best Cinematography, Laustsen talked to Digital Trends about his collaborative process with del Toro, how he sought to create Nightmare Alley's distinct looks in the first and second parts of the film, and how he composed every scene to be seen in both color and black and white.

Read more