Guillermo del Toro has reimagined the classic tale of Pinocchio! Netflix dropped on Monday a teaser for the Academy Award-winning filmmaker’s “whimsical, stop-motion musical,” which is scheduled to be released on the streamer this December.
© NetflixEwan McGregor voices Sebastian J. Cricket in the film. The voice cast also includes David Bradley as Geppetto, Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, as well as Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton.
“I want to tell you a story,” Ewan’s character says in the teaser. “It’s a story you may think you know, but you don’t. Not really. You see, I, Sebastian J. Cricket, was there. As a matter of fact, I lived, actually lived, in the heart of the wooden boy.”
The upcoming movie, directed by Guillermo and Mark Gustafson, “follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world,” according to Netflix.
Back in 2018, the streaming giant revealed that Guillermo’s “lifelong passion project, Pinocchio” would be set in Italy during the 1930s. “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,” the Oscar winner said in a statement at the time.
“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,” Guillermo continued. “I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember. After the incredible experience we have had on Trollhunters, I am grateful that the talented team at Netflix is giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to introduce audiences everywhere to my version of this strange puppet-turned-real-boy.”
