Guillermo del Tor has explained why his Pinocchio is different to other versions of the movie that have released in 2o22. Del Toro is one of the most renowned filmmakers in the world, and his latest film is a new version Pinocchio – a story that has been adapted many times, including the classic Disney animated movie.
An interesting aspect about the upcoming release of del Toro’s Pinocchio, which will be hitting streaming service Netflix on December 9, 2022, is that its release comes amid a sudden glut of other Pinocchio movies. In fact, two other entirely separate Pinocchio movies have been released this year.
In September, there was the bland, uninspired Tom Hanks Pinocchio movie which was one of Disney’s new ‘live-action’ adaptations (despite still using plenty of animation, not least for Pinocchio himself). Earlier in the year, there had been the inexplicably named Pinocchio: A True Story, which was a Russian made movie that received an American dub. This was for more interesting, notable for its baffling voice performances and jarring, early-2000s style animation.
Now, del Toro has opened up on the pressure of releasing his own version of the movie at a time when the Pinocchio story seems to be so ubiquitous. Speaking to Screen Rant, the director said that it didn’t add to the pressure, and that it was all just a joyful moment of coincidence.
Del Toro said “I think that it’s a tale that can be told so many times in such different ways. And that’s one of the reasons why I felt I was okay with the possessory credit because this is not only something that I’ve been carrying for almost two decades, but it also tells people, ‘Look, this is going to be of a piece with Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.'”
The director continued by further outlining what made his version of the story different, saying “It’s not a movie made for kids, but it is a movie that can be watched by the family. And he has a very sweet heart, as you saw in the footage, but it is something that is going to distinguish itself from the other versions of the tale. It has a point of view that is very, very specific. When you think like that, I mean, then you are in a joyful moment of coincidence, and you’re never in competition.”
The idea that art is never in competition is a very healthy perspective to have as filmmaker. But, the truth it, if it was a competition del Toro could be confident about his chances of winning. The stop-motion work for the movie in the trailer alone is completely stunning, and makes a stark contrast to the shoddy, lacklustre animation in the other two movies.
If that wasn’t enough, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio recently premiered for critics at the London Film Festival as received rave reviews. So, it looks like fans of the Pinocchio story, and del Toro’s work more broadly, are in for a treat sooner rather than later.
For more Pinocchio-related fun, check out our guide to the best Disney movies of all time.