Guillermo del Toro’s affable smile can win anyone’s heart. Not to mention, his movies as well. The Mexican filmmaker has given us a sleuth of cult classics over the years. Though not one of the most dominating personalities out there, del Toro has quietly sneaked in quite a number of remarkable works over the span of his illustrious career. With three Academy Awards and just as many Golden Globes, there can be no doubt about his impact on the industry. But things could have turned out better if he had chosen another movie over Hellboy 2.
Guillermo del Toro’s rise to fame
Guillermo del Toro rose to fame in the 2000s
At the turn of the millennium, Guillermo del Toro was not the icon he is today. A director with a couple of films to his name, he was still looking to find his feet in the industry.
Guillermo del Toro’s rise to fame
Guillermo del Toro rose to fame in the 2000s
At the turn of the millennium, Guillermo del Toro was not the icon he is today. A director with a couple of films to his name, he was still looking to find his feet in the industry.
- 4/12/2024
- by Smriti Sneh
- FandomWire
4K is about to get a lot darker, as director Guillermo del Toro teased over the weekend that four more of his films will be hitting the format within “the next year or so”. They are: his 1993 debut Cronos, 1997 follow-up Mimic, 2002’s Hellboy, and 2015’s Crimson Peak, which is one of del Toro’s most visually striking features.
In an X post from yesterday, Guillermo del Toro wrote, “4 new 4K transfers coming up: Crimson Peak, then Cronos, Blade II and finally Mimic all in the next year or so. I am done with the color timing of 3 out of the 4.” Note that these releases will not be coming out simultaneously or in chronological order.
4 new 4K transfers coming up: Crimson Peak, then Cronos, Blade II and finally Mimic all in the next year or so. I am done with the color timing of 3 out of the 4.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT...
In an X post from yesterday, Guillermo del Toro wrote, “4 new 4K transfers coming up: Crimson Peak, then Cronos, Blade II and finally Mimic all in the next year or so. I am done with the color timing of 3 out of the 4.” Note that these releases will not be coming out simultaneously or in chronological order.
4 new 4K transfers coming up: Crimson Peak, then Cronos, Blade II and finally Mimic all in the next year or so. I am done with the color timing of 3 out of the 4.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT...
- 4/1/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Veteran international film executive Rosa Bosch has partnered with Spanish distributor and sales agency Begin Again Films, joining the company’s international department.
Madrid-based Begin Again Films is known for handling arthouse fare such as doc The Year of Discovery, Zaida Carmona’s Girlfriends and Girlfriends and Nestor Ruiz Medina’s 21 Paradise.
Bosch joins as Begin Again also takes on sales for Anna Cornudella’s The Human Hibernation, winner of the Fipresci Award in the Forum section of the Berlinale 2024.
A veteran of the international film industry, Bosch’s career includes roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival...
Madrid-based Begin Again Films is known for handling arthouse fare such as doc The Year of Discovery, Zaida Carmona’s Girlfriends and Girlfriends and Nestor Ruiz Medina’s 21 Paradise.
Bosch joins as Begin Again also takes on sales for Anna Cornudella’s The Human Hibernation, winner of the Fipresci Award in the Forum section of the Berlinale 2024.
A veteran of the international film industry, Bosch’s career includes roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival...
- 3/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Veteran producer and sales agent Rosa Bosch has joined the Madrid-based distributor and international sales agency Begin Again Films. Bosch will serve as part of the company’s international department.
Bosch has previously held roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival, the National Film Theatre in London (Deputy Director), and the San Sebastian Film Festival. She was a founding partner of the production company and international sales agency, Tequila Gang, along with Guillermo del Toro, Laura Esquivel, Bertha Navarro, and Alejandra Moreno. As a producer, her credits include titles such as Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, The Devil’s Backbone by Guillermo del Toro, The Gospel of Wonders by Arturo Ripstein, and Broken Silence by Montxo Armendáriz.
Bosch led the international launch and distribution strategy of films such as Amores Perros by Alejandro González Iñarritu and Corpo Celeste by Alice Rorhwacher. She also served as the Managing Director...
Bosch has previously held roles at AFI Fest, the London Film Festival, the National Film Theatre in London (Deputy Director), and the San Sebastian Film Festival. She was a founding partner of the production company and international sales agency, Tequila Gang, along with Guillermo del Toro, Laura Esquivel, Bertha Navarro, and Alejandra Moreno. As a producer, her credits include titles such as Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, The Devil’s Backbone by Guillermo del Toro, The Gospel of Wonders by Arturo Ripstein, and Broken Silence by Montxo Armendáriz.
Bosch led the international launch and distribution strategy of films such as Amores Perros by Alejandro González Iñarritu and Corpo Celeste by Alice Rorhwacher. She also served as the Managing Director...
- 3/15/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Horror enthusiasts, gather ’round as we unveil the best horror movies of 2023! This year, the genre has outdone itself, pushing boundaries and redefining the meaning of fear. From haunting ghost stories to relentless slashers, and psychological mind-benders to creature features, every film on our list has made waves in the horror community. So, if you’re looking to update your must-watch list with the latest films that have been dominating the box office and stirring up a buzz online, prepare to arm yourself with these top picks.
Whether you’re a fan of jumpscares or slow-burn terror, these movies promise to deliver the thrills that horror movie fans crave. Let’s dive into the abyss of 2023’s top horror movies!
[Note: These are my (Kimmi’s) picks of the best horror movies of 2023. To listen to this list, check out our Podcast Episode counting down the top horror movies of 2023! You can also read Jon’s picks here.]
Hulu 10. No One Will Save You
Sliding into the number 10 spot is No One Will Save You, a film that blends the quiet unease of isolation with the heart-pounding tension of a home invasion.
Whether you’re a fan of jumpscares or slow-burn terror, these movies promise to deliver the thrills that horror movie fans crave. Let’s dive into the abyss of 2023’s top horror movies!
[Note: These are my (Kimmi’s) picks of the best horror movies of 2023. To listen to this list, check out our Podcast Episode counting down the top horror movies of 2023! You can also read Jon’s picks here.]
Hulu 10. No One Will Save You
Sliding into the number 10 spot is No One Will Save You, a film that blends the quiet unease of isolation with the heart-pounding tension of a home invasion.
- 12/10/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Amber Heard (Aquaman) stars as a doctor battling against 19th-century superstitions and paranoia in In The Fire, also starring Luca Calvani (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Eduardo Noriega (The Devil’s Backbone), and Sophie Amber (soon to be seen in The Last Girl with Antonio Banderas).
Directed by Cocor Allyn (No Man’s Land), In The Fire is an intense and thrilling experience featuring a searing career-best lead performance from Heard as a woman attempting to convince a community that medicine can overcome what they perceive as ‘evil’.
Synopsis:
A doctor travels to a remote plantation to care for a disturbed boy who has inexplicable abilities. She ignites a war of science versus religion with the local priest who believes the boy is possessed by the Devil.
In The Fire is available now on Digital Platforms including Google, Apple TV, Sky and Amazon.
About Altitude
Altitude Media Group is...
Directed by Cocor Allyn (No Man’s Land), In The Fire is an intense and thrilling experience featuring a searing career-best lead performance from Heard as a woman attempting to convince a community that medicine can overcome what they perceive as ‘evil’.
Synopsis:
A doctor travels to a remote plantation to care for a disturbed boy who has inexplicable abilities. She ignites a war of science versus religion with the local priest who believes the boy is possessed by the Devil.
In The Fire is available now on Digital Platforms including Google, Apple TV, Sky and Amazon.
About Altitude
Altitude Media Group is...
- 11/8/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Mexican-born auteur Guillermo del Toro hit the Oscar jackpot with his fantastical love story “The Shape of Water” (2017), which took home four prizes including Best Picture and Best Director. But that’s just one of many eye-popping fantasies he has crafted throughout his career. Let’s take a look back at all 12 of del Toro’s films, ranked worst to best.
Del Toro made his feature directing debut with the Spanish-language horror drama “Cronos” (1993), which established him as a maker of dark, visually-stunning fright-fests. The film wrote him a ticket to Hollywood, where he helmed the creepy chiller “Mimic” (1997). Over the next two decades, he would bounce back-and-forth between mainstream American productions and more personal stories in his native language.
It was for “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006), a fable about a young Mexican girl escaping into a terrifying fantasy realm during the falangist Spain of 1944, that del Toro reaped his first Oscar bid for Best Original Screenplay.
Del Toro made his feature directing debut with the Spanish-language horror drama “Cronos” (1993), which established him as a maker of dark, visually-stunning fright-fests. The film wrote him a ticket to Hollywood, where he helmed the creepy chiller “Mimic” (1997). Over the next two decades, he would bounce back-and-forth between mainstream American productions and more personal stories in his native language.
It was for “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006), a fable about a young Mexican girl escaping into a terrifying fantasy realm during the falangist Spain of 1944, that del Toro reaped his first Oscar bid for Best Original Screenplay.
- 10/7/2023
- by Tom O'Brien, Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
As Halloween draws near, it’s time to raise our horror movie standards. The Streamable combed through Metacritic's Top 100 Best-Reviewed Horror Movies of All Time to alert you which streaming services will give you the most “boo” for your buck.
While there are streaming services dedicated to horror, you can find a lot of terror on the services you may already have. Max, Paramount+, AMC+, Peacock, and, shockingly, Tubi all have the best variety of well-reviewed scary movies. In fact, Tubi has over 30% of the entire list!
To make sure you have an endless stream of scares, we scanned 10 different streaming libraries. Simply select your favorite service from this list and scream while you stream!
Best Horror Movies on Prime Video
Best Horror Movies on Paramount+ with Showtime
Best Horror Movies on Netflix
Best Horror Movies on Max
Best Horror Movies on Hulu
Best Horror Movies on AMC+
Best...
While there are streaming services dedicated to horror, you can find a lot of terror on the services you may already have. Max, Paramount+, AMC+, Peacock, and, shockingly, Tubi all have the best variety of well-reviewed scary movies. In fact, Tubi has over 30% of the entire list!
To make sure you have an endless stream of scares, we scanned 10 different streaming libraries. Simply select your favorite service from this list and scream while you stream!
Best Horror Movies on Prime Video
Best Horror Movies on Paramount+ with Showtime
Best Horror Movies on Netflix
Best Horror Movies on Max
Best Horror Movies on Hulu
Best Horror Movies on AMC+
Best...
- 10/6/2023
- by Ben Bowman
- The Streamable
Having recently shifted away from their one-film-a-day approach, Mubi has now unveiled their October lineup, which is headlined by Ira Sachs’ stellar drama Passages following its theatrical run this summer. The slate also features handpicked selections by Sachs, with work by Maurice Pialat, Luchino Visconti, Jack Hazan, Shirley Clarke, and Tsai Ming-liang.
Also arriving in October is “Watch If You Dare: Horror Halloween,” a series featuring a trio of giallo classics, with The Fifth Cord, The Possessed, and Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, alongside Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone and more. The service will also spotlight the work of underseen Japanese director Yasuzô Masumura, including his aching melodrama Red Angel, his biting workplace satire Giants and Toys, his thrilling noir Black Test Car, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1
The Infiltrators, directed by Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra | National Hispanic Heritage Month
The Vanished Elephant,...
Also arriving in October is “Watch If You Dare: Horror Halloween,” a series featuring a trio of giallo classics, with The Fifth Cord, The Possessed, and Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, alongside Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone and more. The service will also spotlight the work of underseen Japanese director Yasuzô Masumura, including his aching melodrama Red Angel, his biting workplace satire Giants and Toys, his thrilling noir Black Test Car, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1
The Infiltrators, directed by Alex Rivera, Cristina Ibarra | National Hispanic Heritage Month
The Vanished Elephant,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
All titles below begin streaming for free on October 1 unless otherwise noted:
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
- 9/28/2023
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
The episode of Revisited covering the 2004 version of Hellboy was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Niki Minter, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Comic book adaptations are everywhere these days, but in the early 2000s, they were a bit more of a rarity. There were some, but not a ton. 2004 saw a group of comic book adaptations come out including Immortal and Renegade and movies like Constantine, Aeon Flux, and Sin City were announced for 2005. One movie that came out in 2004 and made an impression, positioning the director, Guillermo del Toro, for much bigger things was Hellboy (watch it Here). This was his follow-up to the fantastic Blade II and, thus, not his first foray into comic book movies.
Now, let’s get this clear from the start, Mr. Del Toro is a monster cinema God to me,...
Comic book adaptations are everywhere these days, but in the early 2000s, they were a bit more of a rarity. There were some, but not a ton. 2004 saw a group of comic book adaptations come out including Immortal and Renegade and movies like Constantine, Aeon Flux, and Sin City were announced for 2005. One movie that came out in 2004 and made an impression, positioning the director, Guillermo del Toro, for much bigger things was Hellboy (watch it Here). This was his follow-up to the fantastic Blade II and, thus, not his first foray into comic book movies.
Now, let’s get this clear from the start, Mr. Del Toro is a monster cinema God to me,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
Guillermo del Toro is returning to The Criterion Collection, as his 2022 Oscar winner Pinocchio will be released on December 12th as spine #1201. What, no love for Robert Zemeckis’ version?
Here are the special features for The Criterion Collection’s upcoming release of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which also comes complete with stunning cover art by James Jean:
4K digital master, supervised by directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with Dolby Atmos One 4K Uhd disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision Hdr and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Handcarved Cinema, a new documentary featuring del Toro, Gustafson, and cast and crew, including the film’s puppet creators, production designers, and animation supervisor Directing Stop-Motion, a new program featuring del Toro and Gustafson New conversation between del Toro and film critic Farran Smith Nehme New interview with curator Ron Magliozzi on The Museum of...
Here are the special features for The Criterion Collection’s upcoming release of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which also comes complete with stunning cover art by James Jean:
4K digital master, supervised by directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with Dolby Atmos One 4K Uhd disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision Hdr and one Blu-ray with the film and special features Handcarved Cinema, a new documentary featuring del Toro, Gustafson, and cast and crew, including the film’s puppet creators, production designers, and animation supervisor Directing Stop-Motion, a new program featuring del Toro and Gustafson New conversation between del Toro and film critic Farran Smith Nehme New interview with curator Ron Magliozzi on The Museum of...
- 9/19/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Guess what, spooky cinephiles? It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, that exhilarating period where we immerse ourselves in the vibrant rhythms, flavors, and stories of Hispanic cultures. But did you know that amidst the vivacious dances and the mouth-watering dishes hides a treasure trove of spine-tingling tales?
Oh yes, the world of Hispanic horror movies beckons, promising more than just your average fright night. These films aren’t merely content with making you jump out of your seat; they pull you into rich narratives filled with cultural nuances, deeply rooted traditions, and haunting legacies from bygone eras. It’s a blend of ancient folklore and contemporary fears that results in a truly unique cinematic experience.
So, if you’re game for a haunting journey that spans from the labyrinthine streets of Barcelona to the mystical landscapes of Latin America, sit tight. Here are 10 hand-picked, spine-tingling Hispanic horror movies that will set...
Oh yes, the world of Hispanic horror movies beckons, promising more than just your average fright night. These films aren’t merely content with making you jump out of your seat; they pull you into rich narratives filled with cultural nuances, deeply rooted traditions, and haunting legacies from bygone eras. It’s a blend of ancient folklore and contemporary fears that results in a truly unique cinematic experience.
So, if you’re game for a haunting journey that spans from the labyrinthine streets of Barcelona to the mystical landscapes of Latin America, sit tight. Here are 10 hand-picked, spine-tingling Hispanic horror movies that will set...
- 9/15/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
The stifling religious and social conformity of a small Spanish town is the source of the shocks in this scare story – along with a spectral girl in white
Here is another sociologically buttressed Spanish-language gothic horror to file alongside The Devil’s Backbone and The Orphanage. With this film set near 1980s Tarragona, director Víctor García draws on a convincing period setting to nourish his scare story – even if the shocks aren’t especially chilling, and the sense of claustrophobic entrapment in the milieu is undermined by a cop-out open ending.
Teenager Sara (Carla Campra) is newly arrived in town, and struggling to adjust to this backwater with its stifling piety and social snobbery. After letting off some steam at a club with her hothead pal Rebe (Aina Quiñones) and hitching a lift back with a pair of local bad boys, they almost crash when a spectral girl in a communion...
Here is another sociologically buttressed Spanish-language gothic horror to file alongside The Devil’s Backbone and The Orphanage. With this film set near 1980s Tarragona, director Víctor García draws on a convincing period setting to nourish his scare story – even if the shocks aren’t especially chilling, and the sense of claustrophobic entrapment in the milieu is undermined by a cop-out open ending.
Teenager Sara (Carla Campra) is newly arrived in town, and struggling to adjust to this backwater with its stifling piety and social snobbery. After letting off some steam at a club with her hothead pal Rebe (Aina Quiñones) and hitching a lift back with a pair of local bad boys, they almost crash when a spectral girl in a communion...
- 8/7/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Guillermo del Toro was given a rock star welcome at the Annecy International Animation Festival on Tuesday as he took to the stage to discuss his life long obsession with animation.
The Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water filmmaker and producer is at the French lakeside festival this year as one of the figureheads of special a focus on Mexican animation, alongside The Book Of Life director Jorge R. Gutierrez, producer Sofia Alexander (Onyx Equinox) and Guadalajara Festival head Estrella Araiza
Having recounted his early beginnings in the genre using his father’s Super 8, del Toro said he always thought he would work mainly in animation but instead got caught in live action for close to a decade, on TV show Hora Marcada and the film Cronos and breakthrough classics such as The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.
“Life had other plans and I didn’t come back to animation...
The Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water filmmaker and producer is at the French lakeside festival this year as one of the figureheads of special a focus on Mexican animation, alongside The Book Of Life director Jorge R. Gutierrez, producer Sofia Alexander (Onyx Equinox) and Guadalajara Festival head Estrella Araiza
Having recounted his early beginnings in the genre using his father’s Super 8, del Toro said he always thought he would work mainly in animation but instead got caught in live action for close to a decade, on TV show Hora Marcada and the film Cronos and breakthrough classics such as The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.
“Life had other plans and I didn’t come back to animation...
- 6/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a brand new month, which means new titles have arrived on various streaming platforms. This month brings the potential for hidden gems in the form of international titles, obscure horror darlings, and new releases to your favorite streaming platforms.
Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in May 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.
The Ancestral – Screambox
This haunter hails from the director of Furie and The Princess, Le-Van Kiet. In the film: “After suffering a family tragedy, a widower moves his two daughters to a centuries-old ancestral home. When both daughters fall prey to sleep paralysis and night terrors, their father seeks the help of a local psychologist. These chilling secrets and frightening visions eventually prove that not everything is what it seems in the old family house.”
Livid – Shudder
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo...
Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in May 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.
The Ancestral – Screambox
This haunter hails from the director of Furie and The Princess, Le-Van Kiet. In the film: “After suffering a family tragedy, a widower moves his two daughters to a centuries-old ancestral home. When both daughters fall prey to sleep paralysis and night terrors, their father seeks the help of a local psychologist. These chilling secrets and frightening visions eventually prove that not everything is what it seems in the old family house.”
Livid – Shudder
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo...
- 5/3/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Mubi is adding over 50 features from the Sony Pictures’ library to its U.S. streaming service. The mix of studio and arthouse fare includes Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, The Last Picture Show by Peter Bogdanovich and films from Wes Anderson, Pedro Almodovar and Guillermo Del Toro.
The company’s growing and global streaming service currently offers over 900 titles in the U.S., where it adds one new film to the platform daily. The Sony deal is a significant haul, especially since studios have become more aggressive in retaining content for their own services. Sony, uniquely, doesn’t have a streaming platform in-house.
Each Sony film has its own window, with some available already and all cycling onto the service at some point through the end of 2024. Others titles in the deal include 2046 by Wong Kar-wai; Volver by...
The company’s growing and global streaming service currently offers over 900 titles in the U.S., where it adds one new film to the platform daily. The Sony deal is a significant haul, especially since studios have become more aggressive in retaining content for their own services. Sony, uniquely, doesn’t have a streaming platform in-house.
Each Sony film has its own window, with some available already and all cycling onto the service at some point through the end of 2024. Others titles in the deal include 2046 by Wong Kar-wai; Volver by...
- 3/30/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
This article contains spoilers for "Pinocchio"
Recently, two Pinocchio movies from rival streaming services received two very different distinctions from award organizations based in L.A. "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," co-directed by Mark Gustafson and available on Netflix, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Disney's live-action "Pinocchio," directed by Robert Zemeckis and available on Disney+, won the Razzie Award for Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel.
The Battle of the Two Pinocchios was fought, and voters decided that del Toro did a better job of rediscovering the wooden boy's soul. You can't really argue with that, yet he and Zemeckis were both indebted to Walt Disney's original 1940 animated version of "Pinocchio" (also on Disney+), not to mention Carlo Collodi's foundational children's novel, "The Adventures of Pinocchio," first published in book form 140 years ago.
In "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," the puppet is immortal, capable of reanimating after death.
Recently, two Pinocchio movies from rival streaming services received two very different distinctions from award organizations based in L.A. "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," co-directed by Mark Gustafson and available on Netflix, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Disney's live-action "Pinocchio," directed by Robert Zemeckis and available on Disney+, won the Razzie Award for Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel.
The Battle of the Two Pinocchios was fought, and voters decided that del Toro did a better job of rediscovering the wooden boy's soul. You can't really argue with that, yet he and Zemeckis were both indebted to Walt Disney's original 1940 animated version of "Pinocchio" (also on Disney+), not to mention Carlo Collodi's foundational children's novel, "The Adventures of Pinocchio," first published in book form 140 years ago.
In "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," the puppet is immortal, capable of reanimating after death.
- 3/19/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (Leja) has handed out its awards for the year, with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” scooping up 10 wins including best picture, director for the Daniels and actress for Michelle Yeoh.
The sci-fi comedy led the nominations with 16, the most in the history of the organization.
Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” scored the second-most wins with three for best cinematography going to Claudio Miranda, sound and stunt design.
“I am incredibly excited by the selections of our distinguished group of Latino critics, journalists and writers from all over the country,” said Clayton Davis, Leja founder and president. “I applaud our tiny but mighty organization for selecting a respectable group of films from artists we all love and admire.”
“Wakanda Forever” won prizes for costume design (Ruth E. Carter) and original song.
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won two prizes for animated film and adapted screenplay. In addition,...
The sci-fi comedy led the nominations with 16, the most in the history of the organization.
Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” scored the second-most wins with three for best cinematography going to Claudio Miranda, sound and stunt design.
“I am incredibly excited by the selections of our distinguished group of Latino critics, journalists and writers from all over the country,” said Clayton Davis, Leja founder and president. “I applaud our tiny but mighty organization for selecting a respectable group of films from artists we all love and admire.”
“Wakanda Forever” won prizes for costume design (Ruth E. Carter) and original song.
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won two prizes for animated film and adapted screenplay. In addition,...
- 2/26/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Guillermo del Toro is keenly aware of the motifs and themes that occur, and occur again, in his work. He often embraces them. For instance, the Mexican auteur freely suggested to us last month that his latest film, the Oscar-nomianted Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, is part of a spiritual trilogy with The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)—movies that all deal with childhood innocence enduring beneath the shadow of fascism and oppression.
Yet another element that frequently goes overlooked in his oeuvre is that of the artist and their commercial benefactor; the creator and the exploiter. This dynamic is given a fatally noirish bent in del Toro’s last Best Picture nominee, Nightmare Alley (2021). That film, which is based on a William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name, sees a small-time carnival huckster learn how a “Geek” is made—which in the early 20th century referred to poor...
Yet another element that frequently goes overlooked in his oeuvre is that of the artist and their commercial benefactor; the creator and the exploiter. This dynamic is given a fatally noirish bent in del Toro’s last Best Picture nominee, Nightmare Alley (2021). That film, which is based on a William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name, sees a small-time carnival huckster learn how a “Geek” is made—which in the early 20th century referred to poor...
- 1/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
The Art Directors Guild will present Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with the William Cameron Menzies Award, to honor his visually striking and emotionally rich body of work. Del Toro will receive the award at the 27th Adg’s Excellence in Production Design Awards on Saturday, February 18 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Del Toro first gained recognition for writing and directing Cronos, which premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Mercedes Benz Award, and went on to earn more than 20 international awards. Del Toro’s most noted films include Pan’s Labyrinth, which garnered Academy Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Makeup and The Shape of Water, which won the Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion as well as Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design and Best Score. His latest project, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, continues his lifelong love of animation and stop-motion filmmaking.
Del Toro first gained recognition for writing and directing Cronos, which premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Mercedes Benz Award, and went on to earn more than 20 international awards. Del Toro’s most noted films include Pan’s Labyrinth, which garnered Academy Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Makeup and The Shape of Water, which won the Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion as well as Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design and Best Score. His latest project, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, continues his lifelong love of animation and stop-motion filmmaking.
- 1/23/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
This story about “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” first appeared in a special animation section in the Awards Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
It should come as no surprise that Guillermo del Toro has made an animated film using the stop-motion technique. The real surprise should be that it took him until 2022 to make “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” because the filmmaker has been fascinated with the art form to the point where he started his own small stop-motion company as a teenager in Mexico City. Since then, he’s been making acclaimed films like “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Nightmare Alley” and the Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water,” all the while dreaming of doing his own animated feature.
And for many of those years, he also had a pretty good idea of what story he wanted to tell. “I saw (Disney’s) ‘Pinocchio’ as a very young kid,...
It should come as no surprise that Guillermo del Toro has made an animated film using the stop-motion technique. The real surprise should be that it took him until 2022 to make “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” because the filmmaker has been fascinated with the art form to the point where he started his own small stop-motion company as a teenager in Mexico City. Since then, he’s been making acclaimed films like “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Nightmare Alley” and the Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water,” all the while dreaming of doing his own animated feature.
And for many of those years, he also had a pretty good idea of what story he wanted to tell. “I saw (Disney’s) ‘Pinocchio’ as a very young kid,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The last time Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu released three new movies in the space of the same year was 2006. By then, their reputations at home had been established by early successes like Y tu mamá también (Cuarón), The Devil’s Backbone (del Toro) and Amores Perros (Iñárritu) and they had each worked in the U.S., with del Toro and Cuarón stepping into blockbuster cinema with Hellboy and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban respectively, and Iñárritu directing Sean Penn and Naomi Watts to Oscar nominations with 21 Grams.
When they donned tuxedos to celebrate the 79th Academy Awards together on February 25, 2007, “The Three Amigos,” as they’d been dubbed, might have considered the evening a high watermark in their respective careers. Iñárritu had been Best Director and Best Picture nominated for Babel; Del Toro had a nod for his Original Screenplay for Pan...
When they donned tuxedos to celebrate the 79th Academy Awards together on February 25, 2007, “The Three Amigos,” as they’d been dubbed, might have considered the evening a high watermark in their respective careers. Iñárritu had been Best Director and Best Picture nominated for Babel; Del Toro had a nod for his Original Screenplay for Pan...
- 1/11/2023
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
As the calendar flips over to 2023, Prime Video is attempting to start a new year on the right track with fresh seasons of some major originals.
Prime Videos’ list of new releases for January 2023 is highlighted by Hunters season 2 on Jan. 13. The first season of Hunters was set in 1977 and followed young Jonah Heidelbaum’s (Logan Lerman) introduction to a world of Nazi-hunting. After a lengthy wait for season 2, the fresh (and final) batch of episodes will find Jonah and friends venturing to South American to take out none other than Adolf Hitler, himself.
While Nazi-hunting undoubtedly takes up a lot of streaming space, two other Amazon original series of note arrive in January. The Rig, a supernatural thriller set on a Scottish oil rig, premieres Jan. 6. That will be followed by season 2 of fantasy role-playing animated series The Legend of Vox Machina on Jan. 20.
The action comedy Shotgun Wedding...
Prime Videos’ list of new releases for January 2023 is highlighted by Hunters season 2 on Jan. 13. The first season of Hunters was set in 1977 and followed young Jonah Heidelbaum’s (Logan Lerman) introduction to a world of Nazi-hunting. After a lengthy wait for season 2, the fresh (and final) batch of episodes will find Jonah and friends venturing to South American to take out none other than Adolf Hitler, himself.
While Nazi-hunting undoubtedly takes up a lot of streaming space, two other Amazon original series of note arrive in January. The Rig, a supernatural thriller set on a Scottish oil rig, premieres Jan. 6. That will be followed by season 2 of fantasy role-playing animated series The Legend of Vox Machina on Jan. 20.
The action comedy Shotgun Wedding...
- 1/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Whenever Guillermo del Toro appears at screenings of his and Mark Gustafson’s stop-motion film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” he usually makes a point of saying that the movie was not made for children. And whenever he says that, there are invariably kids in the audience.
That’s what happens when you have an animated film based on an old story that has already served as the basis for a famous animated feature from Disney – it arrives with the assumption that it’s a movie for kids. But while del Toro’s “Pinocchio” includes a wrenching death early in the film and turns the title character’s quest to become a “real boy” into one that involves more confrontations with death and loss, the Oscar-winning director is fine with kids coming to see his film, as long as their parents are ready to talk to them about it.
“Listen,...
That’s what happens when you have an animated film based on an old story that has already served as the basis for a famous animated feature from Disney – it arrives with the assumption that it’s a movie for kids. But while del Toro’s “Pinocchio” includes a wrenching death early in the film and turns the title character’s quest to become a “real boy” into one that involves more confrontations with death and loss, the Oscar-winning director is fine with kids coming to see his film, as long as their parents are ready to talk to them about it.
“Listen,...
- 12/19/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The new year is upon us and Amazon Prime Video is kicking things off in grand fashion. Not only are they debuting the third season of their Tom Clancy adaptation “Jack Ryan,” they’re also debuting the final season of the ambitious, Al Pacino-starring actioner “Hunters.”
Initially debuting to the service in February of 2020, right as the pandemic started, the series’ first season follows a ragtag group of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. The so-called Hunters discover that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living in the United States and are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in America. The Nazi hunters, led by Pacino, will embark on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their genocidal plans. The series concluded in 2020 and has taken some time to get back to screens. Unfortunately, this second season will be a finale as well so fans...
Initially debuting to the service in February of 2020, right as the pandemic started, the series’ first season follows a ragtag group of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. The so-called Hunters discover that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living in the United States and are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in America. The Nazi hunters, led by Pacino, will embark on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their genocidal plans. The series concluded in 2020 and has taken some time to get back to screens. Unfortunately, this second season will be a finale as well so fans...
- 12/16/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio."
"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" cobbles together the best elements of del Toro's work into a moving, bittersweet stop-motion animated film about the preciousness of life. Fans of the horror maestro's work will find his familiar themes — outsiders, existentialism, anti-war, anti-fascism — take center stage in this magical tale about a wooden puppet (Gregory Mann) destined to heal the broken heart of a grieving man named Geppetto (David Bradley). But unlike previous adaptations, Pinocchio's origin story has more of a Frankenstein's monster feel to him. As Pinocchio learns what it means to be human, the audience becomes tasked with unraveling how humane we are or could be -- a compelling premise for all ages.
Co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson and co-written by del Toro and Patrick McHale ("Over the Garden Wall"), "Pinocchio" wastes no time setting up its dark opening.
"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" cobbles together the best elements of del Toro's work into a moving, bittersweet stop-motion animated film about the preciousness of life. Fans of the horror maestro's work will find his familiar themes — outsiders, existentialism, anti-war, anti-fascism — take center stage in this magical tale about a wooden puppet (Gregory Mann) destined to heal the broken heart of a grieving man named Geppetto (David Bradley). But unlike previous adaptations, Pinocchio's origin story has more of a Frankenstein's monster feel to him. As Pinocchio learns what it means to be human, the audience becomes tasked with unraveling how humane we are or could be -- a compelling premise for all ages.
Co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson and co-written by del Toro and Patrick McHale ("Over the Garden Wall"), "Pinocchio" wastes no time setting up its dark opening.
- 12/10/2022
- by Cass Clarke
- Slash Film
This is not Uncle Walt’s Pinocchio. The little wooden boy has been a symbol of the Walt Disney Company ever since the original animated classic came out in 1940, and not even an ill-advised live-action remake released by the Mouse House just a few months ago could really sully the original’s reputation. But anyone who watches this new, completely separate stop-motion version of the tale, co-directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, is in for a dark surprise—and hopefully, some delight.
Del Toro’s Pinocchio is about as different from Disney’s as one could imagine, and not just because this is stop-motion and the latter is traditional animation. For one thing, this is clearly del Toro’s vision, and while it may give perhaps only the littlest viewers a few unpleasant dreams, it is nevertheless infused with the maestro’s Gothic storytelling sensibility (even more so...
Del Toro’s Pinocchio is about as different from Disney’s as one could imagine, and not just because this is stop-motion and the latter is traditional animation. For one thing, this is clearly del Toro’s vision, and while it may give perhaps only the littlest viewers a few unpleasant dreams, it is nevertheless infused with the maestro’s Gothic storytelling sensibility (even more so...
- 12/9/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
This review originally ran Oct. 15, 2022, after the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” may have premiered hot on the wooden heels of Robert Zemeckis’s live-action/CGI remake of the 1940 Disney cartoon, but no one is likely to get the two muddled up.
Partly that’s because Zemeckis’ film was a depressing waste of time, whereas del Toro’s is a soulful stop-motion masterpiece. But it’s partly because, as the title suggests, the latest version is so unmistakably a del Toro passion project.
However much he has borrowed from Disney, as well as from Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, his film (co-directed by Mark Gustafson) is obviously carved from the same pine tree as “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape Of Water”: a dark but sweet horror fantasy about death, grief, and a misunderstood monster being persecuted by authoritarian forces.
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” may have premiered hot on the wooden heels of Robert Zemeckis’s live-action/CGI remake of the 1940 Disney cartoon, but no one is likely to get the two muddled up.
Partly that’s because Zemeckis’ film was a depressing waste of time, whereas del Toro’s is a soulful stop-motion masterpiece. But it’s partly because, as the title suggests, the latest version is so unmistakably a del Toro passion project.
However much he has borrowed from Disney, as well as from Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, his film (co-directed by Mark Gustafson) is obviously carved from the same pine tree as “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape Of Water”: a dark but sweet horror fantasy about death, grief, and a misunderstood monster being persecuted by authoritarian forces.
- 12/8/2022
- by Nicholas Barber
- The Wrap
Guillermo del Toro is as busy as ever. His latest movie, a stop-motion animated take on Pinocchio, is set to be released through the Netflix streaming service this Friday. He’s considering making his long-awaited H.P. Lovecraft adaptation At the Mountains of Madness as a stop-motion feature. He’s hoping to produce another season of the anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities for Netflix (if Netflix decides to renew the show). And during an interview with the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, he revealed that he’s currently developing a monster movie… which may end up being his next directing project.
Del Toro said (with thanks to The Playlist for the transcript), “I’m working on a monster movie; I cannot say the title because it may change, and I could end up making something else. But right now, I’m writing and designing. And we have...
Del Toro said (with thanks to The Playlist for the transcript), “I’m working on a monster movie; I cannot say the title because it may change, and I could end up making something else. But right now, I’m writing and designing. And we have...
- 12/7/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Get ready to get your hopes up again (hopefully without the usual heartbreak this time) about one of Guillermo del Toro's most notorious and tragic passion projects that never saw the light of day. The man has given us some of the greatest films of the century with the likes of "Pan's Labyrinth," "Crimson Peak," "The Devil's Backbone" and "The Shape of Water," but for every movie he has completed, there are dozens of projects that didn't get made, from an adaptation of "The Witches" to "Justice League Dark" to a remake of "Fantastic Voyage."
Of course, there is one doomed project that has eluded del Toro for years, the one everyone turns to when the topic comes up — "At The Mountains Of Madness." The Oscar-winning Mexican director has been trying to make an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's 1936 horror story since the mid-2000s, but the project quickly became too big,...
Of course, there is one doomed project that has eluded del Toro for years, the one everyone turns to when the topic comes up — "At The Mountains Of Madness." The Oscar-winning Mexican director has been trying to make an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's 1936 horror story since the mid-2000s, but the project quickly became too big,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The director of the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water has turned the timeless fable into a magical Mussolini-era parable
Death and fascism may not seem ideal subjects for a life-affirming fantasy animation for grownup children of all ages. Yet Mexican maestro Guillermo del Toro, whose 2017 masterpiece The Shape of Water won the Oscar for best picture, brings his monstrous cinematic skills to bear on Carlo Collodi’s timeless fable with miraculous results, turning it into a Mussolini-era parable about a “lethal form of control and paternity”. Using the tactility of stop-motion animation to lend splintery weight (both physical and emotional) to the story, Del Toro and co-director Mark Gustafson, whose credits include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009), conjure a tale of war and childhood that nods its wooden head towards Mary Shelley while thematically sitting alongside Del Toro’s Spanish-language masterpieces The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).
Along with co-writer Patrick McHale...
Death and fascism may not seem ideal subjects for a life-affirming fantasy animation for grownup children of all ages. Yet Mexican maestro Guillermo del Toro, whose 2017 masterpiece The Shape of Water won the Oscar for best picture, brings his monstrous cinematic skills to bear on Carlo Collodi’s timeless fable with miraculous results, turning it into a Mussolini-era parable about a “lethal form of control and paternity”. Using the tactility of stop-motion animation to lend splintery weight (both physical and emotional) to the story, Del Toro and co-director Mark Gustafson, whose credits include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009), conjure a tale of war and childhood that nods its wooden head towards Mary Shelley while thematically sitting alongside Del Toro’s Spanish-language masterpieces The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).
Along with co-writer Patrick McHale...
- 11/27/2022
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s time for a new episode of our video series Best Foreign Horror Movies, and with this one we’re looking back at a movie that is quite disturbing. The 1997 Austrian production Funny Games (get it Here). To find out what we had to say about Funny Games, check out the video embedded above.
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Despite winning a Best Director Oscar five years ago for The Shape of Water — what many filmmakers would consider the culmination of their artistic careers — Guillermo del Toro shows little, if any, sign of slowing down, bringing one of his most cherished personal projects, a new adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham's classic 1946 noir, Nightmare Alley, to screens just last year and returning this fall/winter with not one, but two separate projects, the soon-to-be-released Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, a stop-motion animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's perennial favorite, and out now, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, both for Netflix. For the self-titled Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, a new anthology series featuring A-level talent on both...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 10/26/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio is widely understood as an easily accessible coming-of-age metaphor—peeling back our childlike wonderment at the world to expose the nastiness within, an experience that leads to us gaining our collective humanity. It’s a broad-enough allegory to ensure Pinocchio can successfully be reimagined any way—a belief furthered by director Guillermo Del Toro, who recently hailed the character as one of the most “universal” in fiction. The tale of the wooden boy works equally well if redefined to fit a specific social or cultural critique as it does a straightforward retelling of the fantastical bildungsroman, though few filmmakers are taking advantage of the myriad possibilities which come with telling a story ripe for reimagining in rich new contexts. In recent years, everybody from Matteo Garrone to Robert Zemeckis has tried their hand at Pinocchio, the latter’s Disney adaptation being the most...
- 10/17/2022
- by Alistair Ryder
- The Film Stage
How do you imagine a Guillermo del Toro-directed stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio? Think it through. What would the visual style be like? What directions might the plot take? What themes would be emphasised? What would the mood be? Got all of that in your head? Good. You’re almost certainly right. If you’re thinking of a morality tale set during the rise of Italian fascism, in which Pinocchio dies and goes to the underworld, the adult characters are all deeply flawed and miserable, everything is sinister and the Blue Fairy is made out of eyeballs … well done.
This is the most, well, Guillermo del Toro that Guillermo del Toro has been in quite some time: the master fantasist who fundamentally understands the stuff of children’s nightmares, and gets that those are adult nightmares too. A storyteller who knows that simple tales hold complex themes, and a moralist...
This is the most, well, Guillermo del Toro that Guillermo del Toro has been in quite some time: the master fantasist who fundamentally understands the stuff of children’s nightmares, and gets that those are adult nightmares too. A storyteller who knows that simple tales hold complex themes, and a moralist...
- 10/17/2022
- by Marc Burrows
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The first reviews are in for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” and by all indications, the stop-motion animation is a resounding success. Fifteen years in the making, the film co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson boasts an all-star cast of voice talent, including Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton. However, overwhelming praise for the latest take on Carlo Collodi’s classic tale centered on its visual and thematic approach.
Set in 1930s fascist Italy, “Pinocchio” separates itself from the rest as a “family movie” that “does not shy away from dark themes of death and war,” per Insider. Its critic Ayomikun Adekaiyero wrote that the adaptation “justifies its existence by modernizing the tale with beautiful stop-motion animation and a tear-jerking story.” On the flip side, Adekaiyero was “disappointed by the mediocrity of the musical elements of the movie,” adding that they were “secondary to the story.
Set in 1930s fascist Italy, “Pinocchio” separates itself from the rest as a “family movie” that “does not shy away from dark themes of death and war,” per Insider. Its critic Ayomikun Adekaiyero wrote that the adaptation “justifies its existence by modernizing the tale with beautiful stop-motion animation and a tear-jerking story.” On the flip side, Adekaiyero was “disappointed by the mediocrity of the musical elements of the movie,” adding that they were “secondary to the story.
- 10/17/2022
- by Harper Lambert and Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
As you might expect from the billing, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio — which had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival today — is a very different beast to the 1940 Disney animation, and just as cavalier with the picaresque elements of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel. The factor that unifies all three is that the main character — a wooden puppet blessed with life — longs to be a real, human boy, but it’s no spoiler to reveal that del Toro, champion of monsters and misfits, doesn’t see the appeal of that.
Related Story Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ Charms Crowd At Emotional World Premiere — London Film Festival Related Story Netflix Suffers Royal Headache Over 'The Crown' S5, Plus Harry And Meghan's Documentary Launch Date Related Story 'Dahmer' Dethroned As Netflix #1 By Another Ryan Murphy Series
Instead, this sophisticated animation fantasy — co-directed by Mark Gustafson, made in...
Related Story Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ Charms Crowd At Emotional World Premiere — London Film Festival Related Story Netflix Suffers Royal Headache Over 'The Crown' S5, Plus Harry And Meghan's Documentary Launch Date Related Story 'Dahmer' Dethroned As Netflix #1 By Another Ryan Murphy Series
Instead, this sophisticated animation fantasy — co-directed by Mark Gustafson, made in...
- 10/15/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” reimagines the classic fantasy tale through the most beautifully-made stop-motion animation in years, a powerful and life-affirming father-and-son story about acceptance and love in the face of pain, misery, and fascism, and the filmmaker’s love of monsters in what is .
The film is set in 1930s Italy, as fascism is sweeping the nation. We see how dangerous ideologies spread quickly and quietly at first, and what starts with just the town’s blacksmith being a bit too obsessed with uniformity and order gives way to hordes of fanatics screaming for Il Duce, kids being sent to boot camps, and everyone who is different being excluded – or worse.
In the middle of all this, we meet Geppetto, a humble woodcarver once beloved by all and with a happy outlook on life. Things change when he loses his son during a senseless air raid on the...
The film is set in 1930s Italy, as fascism is sweeping the nation. We see how dangerous ideologies spread quickly and quietly at first, and what starts with just the town’s blacksmith being a bit too obsessed with uniformity and order gives way to hordes of fanatics screaming for Il Duce, kids being sent to boot camps, and everyone who is different being excluded – or worse.
In the middle of all this, we meet Geppetto, a humble woodcarver once beloved by all and with a happy outlook on life. Things change when he loses his son during a senseless air raid on the...
- 10/15/2022
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Indiewire
The possessive claim in the title “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is a gutsy one. There’s confidence — some would even say arrogance — in filming an oft-told story at least as old as the hills, and suddenly branding it as your own: Even two auteurs as ballsy as Francis Ford Coppola and Baz Luhrmann didn’t slap their own names on “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet,” respectively. Still, you can hardly blame del Toro’s stop-motion spin on Carlo Collodi’s 19th-century chestnut “The Adventures of Pinocchio” for wanting to advertise its distinguishing vision up top: After umpteen tellings of the wooden-boy tale, and coming on the heels of Robert Zemeckis’ wretched Disney remake, Netflix’s rival adaptation has to announce itself as something different. That it is; it’s often delightful too.
There’s a reason why Collodi’s story keeps getting recycled, of course:...
There’s a reason why Collodi’s story keeps getting recycled, of course:...
- 10/15/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A Guillermo del Toro version of beloved children’s tale Pinocchio was always likely to be a little darker than most adaptations and perhaps something not exactly child-friendly. But — although it’s not the first time he’s done so — few would have immediately expected his stop-motion musical adaptation of the fantasy drama to be set against the backdrop of fascism.
Speaking at a special event held by Netflix ahead of Saturday’s world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio — his animated feature film directorial debut (he directed alongside Mark Gustafson) — the acclaimed Mexican director said that the film was “thematically” on the same level as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, which both involved the Spanish Civil War (The Devil’s Backbone set during and Pan’s Labyrinth afterwards, during Franco’s early reign). Keeping geographically correct, his Pinocchio takes place in Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy.
A Guillermo del Toro version of beloved children’s tale Pinocchio was always likely to be a little darker than most adaptations and perhaps something not exactly child-friendly. But — although it’s not the first time he’s done so — few would have immediately expected his stop-motion musical adaptation of the fantasy drama to be set against the backdrop of fascism.
Speaking at a special event held by Netflix ahead of Saturday’s world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio — his animated feature film directorial debut (he directed alongside Mark Gustafson) — the acclaimed Mexican director said that the film was “thematically” on the same level as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, which both involved the Spanish Civil War (The Devil’s Backbone set during and Pan’s Labyrinth afterwards, during Franco’s early reign). Keeping geographically correct, his Pinocchio takes place in Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy.
- 10/13/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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For Guillermo del Toro, it wasn’t a question of why stop-motion fit his new version of “Pinocchio,” but why it had never been attempted before. After all, Carlo Collodi’s enduring fable about a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy cries out for the tactile, handmade technique.
“It’s the perfect way to tell the story,” del Toro told IndieWire, following a sneak peek of the first 38 minutes of his Netflix movie (premiering this weekend at the London Film Festival ahead of its closing-night special presentation at L.A.’s Animation Is Film Festival on October 29). “Everyone is a puppet. Being animated makes the existence of Pinocchio completely naturalistic the way you’re telling the tale. I’m surprised, happy, that it hasn’t been tackled like that before. It comes so naturally to the tale.”
But it’s taken more than 15 years to realize del Toro’s passion project,...
For Guillermo del Toro, it wasn’t a question of why stop-motion fit his new version of “Pinocchio,” but why it had never been attempted before. After all, Carlo Collodi’s enduring fable about a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy cries out for the tactile, handmade technique.
“It’s the perfect way to tell the story,” del Toro told IndieWire, following a sneak peek of the first 38 minutes of his Netflix movie (premiering this weekend at the London Film Festival ahead of its closing-night special presentation at L.A.’s Animation Is Film Festival on October 29). “Everyone is a puppet. Being animated makes the existence of Pinocchio completely naturalistic the way you’re telling the tale. I’m surprised, happy, that it hasn’t been tackled like that before. It comes so naturally to the tale.”
But it’s taken more than 15 years to realize del Toro’s passion project,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's stop-motion "Pinocchio" probably won't be anyone's introduction to the story or the character. Since "The Adventures of Pinocchio" was first written by Carlo Collodi in the 1880s, it has been retold by everyone from Walt Disney to Steven Spielberg. Del Toro and Gustafson's picture won't even be the first "Pinocchio" film released in 2022 (though it is on track to be the best). According to del Toro, this proliferation is a feature, not a bug.
/Film's Jeremy Mathai attended the "Pinocchio" junket, where del Toro discussed why he believes Pinocchio is a "universal" character:
"Even if you haven't read the story, you know the story, or you think you know the story, and therefore you can use them as metaphors for science, for human emotions, for many, many things. "
Indeed, because everyone knows the basics of "Pinocchio," the only proper way to retell...
/Film's Jeremy Mathai attended the "Pinocchio" junket, where del Toro discussed why he believes Pinocchio is a "universal" character:
"Even if you haven't read the story, you know the story, or you think you know the story, and therefore you can use them as metaphors for science, for human emotions, for many, many things. "
Indeed, because everyone knows the basics of "Pinocchio," the only proper way to retell...
- 10/11/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
For a long time, Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" seemed doomed to become one of his many, many unrealized projects. Announced in 2008, this new take on Carlo Collodi's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" was penned by del Toro and his frequent co-writer Matthew Robinson, with del Toro also splitting helming duties with "Fantastic Mr. Fox" animation director Mark Gustafson. But just as exciting as the film's top-tier creatives is its story, which shifts the classic tale of the titular wooden puppet and his quest to become human to Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini's reign of terror.
A dark fairy tale about children going on fantastical adventures in times of war and violent social upheaval is familiar territory for del Toro. His 2001 horror film, "The Devil's Backbone" centers on an orphan boy who sets out to unravel the mystery behind a ghost that haunts the isolated orphanage where he resides,...
A dark fairy tale about children going on fantastical adventures in times of war and violent social upheaval is familiar territory for del Toro. His 2001 horror film, "The Devil's Backbone" centers on an orphan boy who sets out to unravel the mystery behind a ghost that haunts the isolated orphanage where he resides,...
- 10/10/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
A new episode of our video series Best Foreign Horror Movies has just been released, and with this one we’re returning to the work of Dario Argento to take a look at his 1985 film Phenomena (watch it Here). This one doesn’t get mentioned as often as some of his other films, but how can you go wrong with a movie that has Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, and a chimpanzee? Find out all about Phenomena by checking out the video embedded above.
Scripted by Argento and Franco Ferrini, Phenomena has the following synopsis:
A young girl with an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Connelly and Pleasence are joined in the cast by Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, and Patrick Bauchau.
The Best Foreign Horror Movies series is
dedicated to...
Scripted by Argento and Franco Ferrini, Phenomena has the following synopsis:
A young girl with an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Connelly and Pleasence are joined in the cast by Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, and Patrick Bauchau.
The Best Foreign Horror Movies series is
dedicated to...
- 10/4/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
We might be Ok, but we’re actually not fine at all after Taylor Swift suggested that the scarf from her fan-favorite epic ballad “All Too Well” might not actually be lingering in the drawer of a former flame. In fact, the scarf with the power to remind ex-lovers of innocence and that reportedly smells like the chart-topping singer-songwriter is, according to Swift, nothing but a carefully constructed metaphor.
The revelation came during Swift’s appearance Friday evening at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the Grammy Award-winning artist was...
The revelation came during Swift’s appearance Friday evening at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the Grammy Award-winning artist was...
- 9/10/2022
- by Kat Bouza
- Rollingstone.com
Taylor Swift fever hit the Toronto Film Festival on Friday night as the singing-songwriting superstar passed through with actress Sadie Sink to present her 10-minute directoral work All Too Well: The Short Film, followed by an hour-long In Conversation event with festival CEO Cameron Bailey.
Fans slept overnight on the pavement outside the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre in the hope of getting a place via standby, while bars and eateries along the festival’s King Street hub, blasted her classic 2012 track ‘All Too Well’ – which inspired the short.
Taylor Swift fans are taking over #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/N3bDxzMvTi
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 9, 2022
For Swift, the event afforded her an opportunity to give the short work a public screening in its original 35mm format.
“It’s really meaningful to get to present the short film on 35mm because that was how it was originally shot,” Swift said ahead of the screening.
Fans slept overnight on the pavement outside the TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre in the hope of getting a place via standby, while bars and eateries along the festival’s King Street hub, blasted her classic 2012 track ‘All Too Well’ – which inspired the short.
Taylor Swift fans are taking over #TIFF22 pic.twitter.com/N3bDxzMvTi
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 9, 2022
For Swift, the event afforded her an opportunity to give the short work a public screening in its original 35mm format.
“It’s really meaningful to get to present the short film on 35mm because that was how it was originally shot,” Swift said ahead of the screening.
- 9/10/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s time for a new episode of our Best Foreign Horror Movies video series, and in this one we’re looking back at the 2007 Spanish production [Rec] (watch it Here), directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. To find out what we had to say about [Rec], check out the video embedded above!
Balagueró and Plaza wrote [Rec] with Luis A. Berdejo, crafting the following story:
A young TV reporter and her cameraman cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams – which begins a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.
The film stars Manuela Velasco, Ferrán Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David Vert, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, Carlos Vicente, Carlos Lasarte, María Lanau, Claudia Silva, Akemi Goto, Chen Min Kao, María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud, Ben Temple, Ana Velasquez, Daniel Trinh,...
Balagueró and Plaza wrote [Rec] with Luis A. Berdejo, crafting the following story:
A young TV reporter and her cameraman cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams – which begins a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.
The film stars Manuela Velasco, Ferrán Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David Vert, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, Carlos Vicente, Carlos Lasarte, María Lanau, Claudia Silva, Akemi Goto, Chen Min Kao, María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud, Ben Temple, Ana Velasquez, Daniel Trinh,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Spooky season is right around the corner, and the folks at Netflix have an incredible treat in store. "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities" will debut on the streamer over the course of four nights leading up to Halloween weekend, delivering chills and thrills curated by one of the modern masters of horror.
The anthology series features eight episodes, each with their own self-contained story and a different director. Horror anthologies are a time-honored genre tradition going all the way back to "The Twilight Zone" and "Creepshow," so a new one helmed by Guillermo Del Toro feels like a stroke of genius. The director has created some of the most beautiful and brutal fantasy horror flicks of the past few decades, including "The Devil's Backbone," "Pan's Labyrinth," and his Academy Award-winning "The Shape of Water," and two of the eight episodes are new stories directly from his macabre mind,...
The anthology series features eight episodes, each with their own self-contained story and a different director. Horror anthologies are a time-honored genre tradition going all the way back to "The Twilight Zone" and "Creepshow," so a new one helmed by Guillermo Del Toro feels like a stroke of genius. The director has created some of the most beautiful and brutal fantasy horror flicks of the past few decades, including "The Devil's Backbone," "Pan's Labyrinth," and his Academy Award-winning "The Shape of Water," and two of the eight episodes are new stories directly from his macabre mind,...
- 8/15/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
And just like that, winter has come again. HBO Max’s list of new releases for August 2022 is highlighted by the return of the king. Or more accurately: the return of the queen … of the Seven Kingdoms.
Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Aug. 21, just over three years after Game of Thrones concluded in controversial fashion with “The Iron Throne.” This new series is a prequel, depicting the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons from George R.R. Martin’s lore. When dragon fights dragon, the realm will be torn asunder. But the viewer will certainly delight in all the Targaryen action.
Read more TV How House of the Dragon Is Approaching the Game of Thrones Ending Backlash By David Crow TV House of the Dragon: What Rickard Stark Means for the Game of Thrones Spinoff...
Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Aug. 21, just over three years after Game of Thrones concluded in controversial fashion with “The Iron Throne.” This new series is a prequel, depicting the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons from George R.R. Martin’s lore. When dragon fights dragon, the realm will be torn asunder. But the viewer will certainly delight in all the Targaryen action.
Read more TV How House of the Dragon Is Approaching the Game of Thrones Ending Backlash By David Crow TV House of the Dragon: What Rickard Stark Means for the Game of Thrones Spinoff...
- 8/1/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
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