Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated musical Pinocchio is a passion project for the director. It’s a take on the tale that places Carlo Collodi’s classic story in the complex setting of Italy grappling with the rise of fascism. But before we get to the fascism, here’s a brief trailer for the movie that introduces Sebastian J. Cricket.
On Monday, Netflix released a first-look teaser for its new Pinocchio, and while there isn’t a lot of new information about the film or its plot, but we do get to hear Ewan McGregor as the character who was known simply as Talking Cricket in Collodi’s original book. It’s a brief but intriguing look at the charming stop-motion animation style.
Sebastian J. Cricket tells us that we don’t know the real story of Pinocchio, but he was there, nestled within the heart of the wooden boy. This adaptation of Pinocchio takes place during the reign of Mussolini, and will grapple with dark and complex threats. The Cricket was originally a supporting character in the original text of Pinocchio. He’s since been promoted to a main character in many of the story’s adaptations; Disney fans may know him best as Jiminy Cricket.
Pinocchio will be released on Netflix in December. Joining McGregor in the movie are David Bradley (Game of Thrones) as Geppetto, and newcomer Gregory Mann as the puppet who comes to life. Rounding out the cast are Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Cate Blanchett, John Turturro (Barton Fink), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), and Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises).
