The official trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio already shows what an emotional journey this iteration of the classic story will show us. Academy Award-winning del Toro, along with stop-motion legend Mark Gustafson, appear to have truly made something special.
The trailer begins with Ewan McGregor, who voices Sebastian J. Cricket, saying, “I want to tell you a story. It’s a story you may think you know but you don’t.”
It then transitions to show the classic wooden boy named Pinocchio giving his well-known, “I’m a real boy” line. Instead of just his nose growing, it’s a living tree branch that shoots forward from his face. The stop-motion animation shines at that moment but continues to do so as Pinocchio goes on adventures, discovers danger, and goes to save his Papa.
“People are sometimes afraid of things they don’t know,” says Gepetto, voiced by David Bradley, as he walks with Pinocchio through the woods. And as a new creation, the young wooden boy doesn’t understand. That leads Pinocchio to try and find answers to his existence.
Along the way, he encounters the villainous Count Volpe, voiced by Christoph Waltz, and the mysterious angelic creature, voiced by Tilda Swinton, that calls him “the wooden boy with the borrowed soul.” She warns him that life is short and that you don’t know how long you have with someone until they’re gone.
The rest of the trailer seems to show Gepetto and Pinocchio in their search for belonging, love, hope, and letting go of the pain of their past. Because as J. Cricket says, “Life is such a wonderful gift.”
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio isn’t the only place where you can experience the stunning visual effects and heartwarming story of this film. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has announced an exhibition dedicated to Pinocchio from December 11, 2022, to April 16, 2023. So after you’re done watching the movie, you can head over and experience the magic in real life.
Pinocchio is set for release on December 9, 2022, on Netflix.
