Guillermo del Toro on Pinocchio Shot That Took Over 2 Months to Set Up

It’ll probably surprise no one when I tell you that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio looks incredible. I was able to see the first thirty-five minutes and was floored at every aspect of the stop-motion film, including the level of artistry in every shot. In addition, unlike previous versions of Pinocchio, del Toro sets the film in Mussolini’s Italy, against a Fascist backdrop, which adds a fantastic and surprising layer to the well-known story. Shortly after seeing the footage, I got to speak with del Toro and Pinocchio co-director Mark Gustafson. They talked about how grateful they are to Netflix for making both Pinocchio and Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, which shot took two and a half months to plan and why it was so difficult, and why they wanted the animators to take ownership of the character’s performance. In addition, if you’re not aware, del Toro likes to take things home from set, and he revealed he now has it in his contract. “And in my case it’s in my contract. I take o