Pinocchio director Guillermo del Toro on the joy of hand-crafted animation | BFI in Conversation

Director Guillermo Del Toro visits BFI Southbank, as part of the BFI’s Stop Motion season, to talk about his love of hand-crafted animated film. Initially joined by key crew from his Oscar-winning version of the Pinocchio story, Del Toro goes onto talk about his history with animation and his doubts about the touted uses of AI and CGI in modern animated film. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a glorious adaptation of Florentine writer Carlo Collodi’s 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio. It’s a striking, often breathtakingly beautiful synthesis of stop-motion animation and virtuoso visual effects. Del Toro and co-writer Patrick McHale bring the timeline of the story forward, to Mussolini’s Italy, creating an allegory of a repressive society that ranks alongside the Mexican auteur’s Franco-era Spanish dramas The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. This Q&A was hosted by Justin Johnson. Subscribe: Claim an extended BFI Player Subscription free trial (UK only) - subscribe using code BFIYOUTUBE: Watch more on BFI Player: Our TikTok: @britishfilminstitute Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Instagram: Follow us on Twitter: