The story of Pinocchio is a familiar one, but the classic tale has gotten a new look and feel from Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. Set as a Netflix original movie, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio comes to movie fans as part of 2022's slate of new movies.
In what is sure to be a fun bit of comparison, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is the second story of the famous wooden puppet in 2022. Disney Plus' Pinocchio, a live-action retelling of the classic Disney animated movie, already came out. But del Toro's version differs in the way it tells the story, both thematically and stylistically, as his is a stop-motion animated movie.
Here is everything we know about Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.
How to watch Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming exclusively on Netflix, which means if you want to watch you're going to need a subscription.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio trailer
The official trailers for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio previews "a story you may think you know, but you don’t," explains Ewan McGregor’s Sebastian J. Cricket (see, things are already different). The stop-motion animation in this trailer looks incredible. Watch the movie's two trailers directly below:
You can also check out this behind-the-scenes look at how they made the movie right here:
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio reviews — what the critics are saying
People are loving Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. The movie is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critics approval of 97% and 84% of audiences enjoying it.
Here's a sampling of some of the critics' takes on the movie:
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post: "Harkens back to the good old days of tough-love family flicks with a lot of tears and huge emotional payoffs."
Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse: "A bewitching animated masterwork that’s one of the best movies of 2022."
Brian Truitt, USA Today: "The most essential adaptation of Carlo Collodi's novel since Walt Disney's 1940 cartoon masterpiece, with a practically perfect mix of tragedy, comedy, adventure, parental worries, societal expectations, childhood precociousness and antiwar leanings."
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio awards and nominations
See the awards and nominations that Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio has earned:
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
- Best Animation (winner)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio cast
The voice cast for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio isn’t short on names. Among them are the previously mentioned Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Cate Blanchett (TAR), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Tilda Swinton (Three Thousand Years of Longing), Burn Gorman (The Offer), John Turturro (The Batman), Christoph Waltz (No Time to Die), Ron Perlman (Don’t Look Up), David Bradley (Game of Thrones) and Tim Blake Nelson (Nightmare Alley).
The young actor who is being tasked to voice Pinocchio is Gregory Mann, whose previous credits include the ITV/PBS Masterpiece Theater series Victoria and the 2018 movie The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Other confirmed roles include Bradley as Geppetto, McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, Blanchett as Sprezzatura, Wolfhard as Candlewick, Waltz as Count Volpe and Perlman as Podesta.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio plot
Netflix describes this version of Pinocchio as "otherworldly" and one combines the original novel by Carlo Collodi with Guillermo del Toro’s unique vision. Here is the synopsis provided by the streamer:
"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."
Previous reports indicate how this version of Pinocchio is going to be different than the Disney classic or its live-action Pinocchio remake from earlier this year. This includes Geppetto having a previous young son who died.
The script was co-written by del Toro and Patrick McHale.
How long is Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio?
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio comes in with a runtime of one hour and 56 miutes.
What is Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio rated?
The movie is rated PG for "dark thematic material, violence, peril, some rude humor and brief smoking."
Guillermo del Toro movies
Guillermo del Toro has become one of the most recognized directors working today. An Oscar-winner for The Shape of Water, his other credits include movies like Blade II, Hellboy (and its sequel), Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, Nightmare Alley and, in line with the fairy tale aspect, Pan’s Labyrinth.
Pinocchio represents del Toro’s first brush with stop-motion animation, though he is not a complete novice to animation. He directed the opening credits for The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror XXIV" in 2013 and has been a producer of a number of animated movies (Megamind, Puss in Boots, The Rise of the Guardians).
