Guillermo del Toro Talks About His Upcoming PINOCCHIO Remake

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In case you missed this, Netflix announced back in late October that they were collaborating with Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro to make a new adaptation of the classic fairy tale Pinocchio. The upcoming film has been described as a “stop motion animated musical film,” which reminds me of the immortal 1990’s holiday classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Our very own MFR said at the time that this film “truly seems like one of those rare, dream mergers where an artist and a project are perfect for one another.”

Del Toro spoke about the film at the recent Marrakech Film Festival, warning that “It’s not a Pinocchio for all the family” and that audiences can expect it be a very politically charged adaptation by adding, “Pinocchio during the rise of Mussolini, do the math. A puppet during the rise of fascism, yes, it is.”

“There’s no fable without politics,” del Toro continued. “Rarely can you get in productive discussions in real life right now, it’s so tense. It’s much easier for you to listen to me if I tell you ‘Once upon a time… .’” It’s a valid point. For example, consider the way a fairy tale such as Beauty and the Beast has evolved over its many, many interpretations over the past several hundred years and the socio-political messages that have come and gone with that particular story.

One detail that I find particularly intriguing about del Toro’s take on Pinocchio is how he reportedly compared the character to Frankenstein’s Monster at the festival. The director was quoted, “He’s a creature that is created through unnatural means from a father that he then distances [himself] from, and has to learn about failure and pain and loneliness.” Del Toro added that he opted to have his Pinocchio be his first foray into animation due to the additional visual expressiveness that medium offers over traditional live action films.

Personally I’m in total agreement with MFR: This adaptation of Pinocchio seems like one of those rare instances of an artist and project perfectly matching one another and I can’t wait to see the final product when it comes out.

What do you think? Be sure to leave your thoughts below!

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter