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.
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.
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.
