Speaking to us at the London Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere in October, their love for the art of stop-motion animation and the people who make the magic happen is apparent.

Part of the deal with Netflix, who are distributing the film, was that they would have complete creative control and that pays off with the film a technical marvel and a dark, provocative adaption of Carlo Collodi’s novel Pinocchio.

Set in 1930s Italy, with the rise of Mussolini a huge factor in the narrative, it’s a compelling attack on fascism, a love letter to disobedience, and a poignant reflection on grief and the father/son relationship.

“It is a Pinocchio that is loaded with grief but also with life-force”, explains del Toro. “It’s a very life-affirming story but very deep and emotional. It’s one that focuses on disobedience being a virtue. It’s one where everybody transforms around Pinocchio rather than transforming Pinocchio and that speaks of the time and the political context, and the difference between ideologies and ideas.”

It was important to Del Toro and Gustafson to bring that level of integrity to their production, and to place a spotlight on the animators behind the stop-motion, who they referred to as actors on set.

“The only thing you want to guarantee is sort of the structural barrier between the artist and the economic powers,” explains del Toro. “You want to guarantee that they will be isolated from interference. We wanted to make something that was painstakingly made by humans, to return control of the animation to the animators. The bond between the puppet and the animator is incredibly beautiful and sacred. If I had been untrue and in the middle of the story I go, well, we tested the movie and the studio wants this… it would be a betrayal of everything we promised in the beginning.”

Gustafson elaborates saying: “I think that’s a very subversive idea in a way. We could change the story however we wanted but in the end, it came down to our instincts. We’re not doing anything simply because we can. It was always in service of this central idea and theme.”

Across the globe, there are so many frightening instances of fascism, injustice and bigotry. Acts of rebellion take great bravery and sacrifice, for example the ongoing Masha Amini protests in Iran speak to how much risk is involved in speaking out and standing up for what you believe is right.

When we suggest that it’s incredibly scary to take a stand, del Toro says: “I think it’s more scary not to be rebellious. If you think rebellion is scary, try obedience and see where it gets you. Pinocchio stays true to himself. The only lie that is acceptable, is to not lie about who you are. The fact is that fascism is very prescient and it’s something that humanity seems to return to cyclically. You have to wonder why, and then you have to realise that there is a collective tendency to like, to obey, and to release yourself into obedience and following an ideology that you didn’t come up with, but people tell you is true.”

Gustafson continues our discussion, leaping in to explain what Geppetto represents, saying: “We have a central character in Geppetto who occupies the same space that a lot of people do. At the beginning of this story, he’s obedient himself. Everybody likes him. It’s a very comfortable place to be. Then Pinocchio comes along and starts breaking everything! Geppetto really does occupy that space that a lot of normal people do who think, ‘I don’t have control over this, what can I possibly do?’”

Del Toro quickly chimes in to add: “It’s also about the fact that Geppetto is an artist and art has to be created to be undomesticated. He releases art into the world that not everybody likes. This is not a Pinocchio that lands peacefully in the town and everybody likes him. Everybody is afraid of him and everybody starts wondering how they will control him. That’s more real, and more now for me. Right now the greatest danger we have is we’ve never been more communicative and less in contact with each other. We find enemies everywhere. Everybody is the other. Ultimately they make you look at everyone with suspicion, except the people oppressing you from above. That is very much in this movie.”

Visually del Toro reflects that oppression in his colour scheme, with vibrant red and blues that eventually disappear the deeper the characters plunge in to the fascist regime. As the film continues, it strikes a realist tone in juxtaposition to the more surreal elements including the beautifully rendered Blue Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton).

“There is a fantastic element that is deranged and very brutalist in Mussolini architecture of the time”, explains del Toro. “We referenced it. There was this monumental piece of architecture with a giant M that we found in our reference photographs and what we decided to do was to suffocate the colour out. There’s a colour that has the dread of control, fascism and war and that’s red. We were very careful in the movie that red is related mostly to that or war.”

Gustafson concludes saying: “And the shapes are there too, in a way that dehumanises you or makes you feel insignificant. It’s so big that you look at it and you go, ‘I don’t matter in this scheme of things so I will submit to this power which is all around’.”

Pinocchio will be released on Netflix on 9 December. Read our review here. 

(Main image credit: Jason Schmidt/NETFLIX)

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Mark the 8 September in your diary folks as Disney+ Day is once again upon us and with it brings a whole slew of genre goodness to enjoy on the streaming platform.

New titles for Disney+ Day include Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder, Assembled: The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder, Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return, Tierra Incognita and Pinocchio.

Find out more about the genre picks from Disney+ Day below…

Thor: Love and Thunder

Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder finds the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – one of self-discovery. But his efforts are interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late. Read our review here.

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder

Settle in with the likes of Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, and Tessa Thompson, and as they divulge the secrets behind the creation of Thor: Love and Thunder. Through in-depth interviews with cast and crew, along with raw, unseen footage from the set and beyond, ASSEMBLED pulls back the curtain on the God of Thunder’s fourth feature film.

 Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return

With never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage, colorful personal stories and meaningful moments, Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return showcases the making of Lucasfilm’s original limited series for Disney+, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a story that begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. This documentary from Lucasfilm and Supper Club explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen—and Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their respective classic roles.

Director Deborah Chow, cast and crew reflect on their journey to tell a new story with iconic Star Wars characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Princess Leia, while introducing new heroes and villains into the saga along the way. The series also includes visits to the creature shop, props department and more. Read our exclusive interview with Hayden Christensen here.

Tierra Incognita (Original Series Produced in Latin America) 

Tierra Incógnita follows Eric Dalaras (Pedro Maurizi), a teenager who discovers a hair-raising world while searching for the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of his parents eight years before. Raised by his maternal grandparents along with his sister Uma (Mora Fisz), Eric decides to run away from home and go back to his childhood town, Cabo Qwert, to find answers where his parents were last seen: the Tierra Incógnita horror theme park. Together with his friends, his sister and his aunt, Eric must overcome his fears in order to find answers and solve the mystery in a dark and unfamiliar world. 

Pinocchio

Academy Award® winner Robert Zemeckis directs this live-action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood-carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) as if he were his own son. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his “conscience”; Cynthia Erivo is the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key is “Honest” John; Lorraine Bracco is Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans is The Coachman.

Disney+ Day will be taking place on 8 September. Find more trailers at the SciFiNow YouTube channel.

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If you haven’t already heard, classic Disney favorite Pinocchio is getting its very own chance to be a real boy… we mean… a real live-action film and the first teaser trailer has been released!

Check it out here…

Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future) Pinocchio is a live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy.

The movie has an impressive cast too, with Tom Hanks (Finch) starring as Geppetto, the wood-carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, The Haunting of Bly Manor) as if he were his own son.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Project Power) stars alongside them as Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his ‘conscience’; with Cynthia Erivo (Chaos Walking) as the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!) as ‘Honest’ John; Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos)  as Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans (Beauty & The Beast) as The Coachman.

Pinocchio will premiere exclusively on Disney+ this September

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A boy who won’t be good might just as well be made of wood! Check out the first new image above of Disney+’s upcoming all-new live-action Pinocchio.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future) Pinocchio is a live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy.

The movie has an impressive cast too, with Tom Hanks (Finch) starring as Geppetto, the wood-carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, The Haunting of Bly Manor) as if he were his own son.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Project Power) stars alongside them as Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his ‘conscience’; with Cynthia Erivo (Chaos Walking) as the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!) as ‘Honest’ John; Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos)  as Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans (Beauty & The Beast) as The Coachman.

Pinocchio will premiere exclusively on Disney+ this September

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