As part of this weekend's TUDUM event, Netflix has released a brand new behind-the-scenes featurette exploring the complex puppetry and stop-motion techniques utilised in Guillermo del Toro's upcoming reimagining of Pinocchio. The recent live-action reboot from Disney fell short, so all eyes are now on this version to deliver.
"I really wanted this movie to land in a way that had the expressiveness and the material nature of a handmade piece of animation," the filmmaker explains in the video below. "An artisanal, beautiful exercise in carving, painting [and] sculpting, but it had the [sophisticated] movement that research on rigs and puppetry making have taken us to."
Bizarrely, some of the puppets used are small enough to fit in someone's hand, while others are bigger than an actual person.
"Pinocchio is a tale that has lived through the centuries," del Toro says of his love of the fairy tale. "[It's] a fable very close to my heart and we are very sure this iteration is a particularly beatiful one."
We're definitely convinced, and of the two Pinocchio movies being released in 2022, this already looks like the clear winner. Hopefully, another trailer is right around the corner (for now, you can relive the first one by clicking here).
"Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi's classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto," reads the official synopsis. "This whimsical, stop-motion musical directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world."
Pinocchio's voice cast includes Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Ewan McGregor as Cricket, and David Bradley as Geppetto. The ensemble also features Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton.
The movie will be released on Netflix and in select theaters this December.