Ready to see the loveable puppet and his cricket guide in a new way? The trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s stop-motion Pinocchio is here!

It’s been a good few days for animated movies. Last week, Netflix confirmed there will be a Chicken Run sequel in 2023. Yesterday (24th January) the first look at Mexican filmmaker, Guillermo Del Toro’s reimagining of a childhood classic was released.

The trailer is undeniably brief, giving little away. However, it does suggest the film is set to be incredibly aesthetically pleasing in stop-motion, an animation technique you can try for yourself! Nodding to the popular Disney version of Pinocchio, Sebastian J. Cricket, voiced by Ewan McGregor, tells us that we may think we know the story. But, in actual fact, we don’t.

Written in a joint effort by Del Toro and Patrick McHale, this film has been adapted from the classic story by Carlo Collodi. The film takes place in a complex Italy, during the rise of fascism. It follows the tale of a  “wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto,” according to Netflix’s description of the film.

Alongside Ewan McGregor, the impressive cast features David Bradley as Geppetto, and sees Gregory Mann taking on the titular role. Other names include Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton.

This stop-motion Pinocchio vision was originally put forward by Del Toro in 2008, but remained stuck in development. It was first slated for a 2013 or 2014 release, to be produced by The Jim Henson Company and ShadowMachine. Production halted in 2017 completely, until it was finally picked up by Netflix in 2018.

We can watch the movie in full in December this year.