When is Netflix's Pinocchio available to watch?
Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro will helm the Netflix stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio, featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor and more.
Throughout his career, Guillermo del Toro has proven himself a master of the macabre – and for his next project, the Mexican auteur is bringing his unique style to a beloved fairytale.
The Pan's Labyrinth filmmaker is directing a stop motion musical version of Pinocchio, which sets the action against the rise of fascism in Mussolini’s Italy.
The film will be landing on Netflix later in 2022 – and a teaser trailer was recently released, giving an intriguing first look at the adventure and teasing that this is not the story audiences may think they know.
Meanwhile, on Saturday 24th September, Netflix released a new promotional video that saw del Toro give a behind-the-scenes look at his stop-motion approach, which will no doubt further whet the appetites of fans.
Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton are all among the starry voice cast for the adaptation – which is one of two different Pinocchio films set to be released by a major streaming service this year (the other having already arrived on Disney Plus).
“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,” del Toro said in a statement when the film was given the go ahead back in 2018.
“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. I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember.”
Ron Perlman will voice the character Mangiafuoco, a theatre director and puppet-master better known to Walt Disney viewers as Stromboli.
The star told RadioTimes.com: “I’m pretty excited about how [del Toro] set the film, where he set the film, the socio-political implications of the use of this sort of made-up boy, make-believe boy. You know, well, once again, it's del Toro, the mind of del Toro working in ways that no one else would think of."
Here's everything you need to know about the Netflix stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio.
When will Netflix's Pinocchio be available to stream?
The film is set to have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 15th October 2022 before it is released in select cinemas from Friday 25th November.
It will then become available to stream on Netflix just two weeks later – on Friday 9th December.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio cast
“After years of pursuing this dream project, I found my perfect partner in Netflix," del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) said in a statement. "We have spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew and have been blessed by continuous support from Netflix to quietly and carefully soldier on, barely missing a beat. We all love and practice animation with great passion and believe it to be the ideal medium to retell this classic story in a completely new way."
According to the official synopsis, the film will draw on the classic Carlo Collodi tale, with the stop-motion musical following "the extraordinary journey of a wooden boy magically brought to life by a father’s wish."
It continued: "Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, del Toro's Pinocchio is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father’s expectations."
Casting announcements have already been made, with newcomer Gregory Mann taking on the role of the wooden boy Pinocchio himself.
Meanwhile, Ewan McGregor (Beauty and the Beast) plays companion Cricket, and David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones) as Geppetto, Pinocchio's creator and father.
Other casting includes: Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro (The Batman), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley), Burn Gorman (Torchwood), and Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen).
Pinocchio on Netflix trailer
The first teaser trailer for the Netflix Pinocchio musical film arrived in January 2022. Watch below:
A second, longer trailer was then launched in July 2022 that gave a little more away about what to expect from the new film – check it out below.
And if that wasn't enough to have you excited, Netflix has also released a behind-the-scenes featurette that sees Guillermo del Toro take you inside the stop-motion magic of the new film.
Looking for something to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
