A new iteration of the iconic puppet and his creator is being told on Netflix and we reveal where Pinocchio takes place in the narrative and introduce you to the voice cast of Guillermo del Toro’s project.
Del Toro confirmed that every shot featured in the stop-motion animation took many days to film, moving each model approximately 24 times to produce one second of footage.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson – who is making his directorial debut – the stop-motion animated musical Pinocchio is based on the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi with Patrick McHale on board to write the screenplay alongside del Toro.
Where Does Pinocchio Take Place?
From its inception in 1883 by Italian author Collodi, Pinocchio has since been set in Italy, particularly around Tuscany.
NBC News reported that computer expert, Alessandro Vegni, compared the story to historical maps in order to pinpoint exactly where Pinocchio is set.
Vegni discovered that the narrative was actually set in the Tuscan village of San Miniato Basso, which is situated between Pisa and Florence.
It was also discovered that the village’s original name was actually “Pinocchio”.
Del Toro Explains Why His Animation is Set in a Fascist World
Del Toro’s take on Pinocchio is very different from anything we’ve seen before and it’s actually set in Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy.
Motion Pictures Association reported on an interview the director did with Netflix where del Toro explained why his Pinocchio shares a theme with his past movies, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone – both of which were set during the Spanish Civil War:
“The three movies are to do with childhood coming up against something that has to do with war and violence. I think for me, it’s always been the movies about fatherhood and being a father or being a son, and I think in those iterations, Fascism seems to be concerned with a father figure of a different kind and the desire to deliver ourselves to a father that unifies thought. So I think it’s both a background and it is something interesting thematically.”
Meet the Voice Cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
There are many A-listers decorating Pinocchio’s lineup, including Inglorious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz, The Lord of the Rings’ Cate Blanchett, and Doctor Strange’s Tilda Swinton.
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor and Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard also join the ensemble as characters Cricket and Candlewick.
Below, we have listed the animation’s full cast list:
- Gregory Mann – Pinocchio / Carlo
- David Bradley – Master Geppetto
- Ewan McGregor – Sebastian J. Cricket
- Christoph Waltz – Count Volpe
- Tilda Swinton – Wood Sprite / Death
- Ron Perlman – Podestà
- Finn Wolfhard – Candlewick
- Cate Blanchett – Spazzatura
- Burn Gorman – Priest
- John Turturro – Il Dottore
- Tim Blake Nelson – the Black Rabbits
- Tom Kenny – Benito Mussolini
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.
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