Guillermo Del Toro To Bring PINOCCHIO To Netflix

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New adaptations of classic fairy tales are all the rage these days. Just ask Disney about the 167 remakes of old animated films they’re currently working on. Well, it looks like Netflix wants to get in on the trend that primarily got started in 2010 when Tim Burton gave the world his version of Alice In Wonderland– which would go on to earn over $1 Billion worldwide. They’ve green-lit a stop-motion musical adaptation of Pinocchio. And who do they have directing it? Guillermo del Toro!

Netflix announced today that they’ve hired the visionary director behind last year’s Academy Award-winning The Shape of Water to bring an all new version of Pinocchio to the streaming giant.

Netflix VP of Kids and Family entertainment Melissa Cobb had this to say about del Toro in a statement about this exciting new project:

“Throughout his distinguished career, Guillermo has exhibited mastery in inspiring people through his magical worlds filled with unforgettable and magnificent characters, from the monsters in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to the aquatic beast in ‘The Shape of Water. We are incredibly excited to expand our relationship with Guillermo and we know that his deeply touching vision for bringing Pinocchio to life on Netflix will be embraced by audiences the world over.”

Del Toro is said to be setting the film in Italy in the 1930s, which will give his Pinocchio a similar backdrop to that of Pan’s Labyrinth, which also took place in the shadow of totalitarian rule.

Del Toro himself had this to say about his first real foray into animation:

“No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio. In our story, Pinocchio is an innocent soul with an uncaring father who gets lost in a world he cannot comprehend. He embarks on an extraordinary journey that leaves him with a deep understanding of his father and the real world. I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember.”

As you can see, he’s quite inspired by this property, which is why he’s not only directing it, but writing and producing as well.

This truly seems like one of those rare, dream mergers where an artist and a project are perfect for one another.

I don’t know about you, but I- for one- can’t wait to see what del Toro comes up with. I had been somewhat indifferent to his work until I saw last year’s The Shape of Water and realized I had been sleeping on one of the great filmmakers of his generation.

Are you excited to see what he does with Pinocchio? Let me know!