😍 2022-10-13 12:18:56 – Paris/France.
There will be no more Mexican version of "Pinocchio" ("Pinocchio") than the one directed by Guillermo del Toro, who in addition to writing, producing and directing this animated film with fellow filmmaker Mark Gustafson , decided to include his native Guadalajara in the production, Well, part of the scenes – which will arrive in select theaters in November and on the Netflix platform on December 9 – were filmed at the International Animation Center Taller del Chucho with the Guadalajara talent of the so-called "Magnificent Seven", animators selected by the artist himself. Oscar winner for “The Shape of Water”.
Before the release of the film "Pinocchio", during a meeting with the press where he was present THE JOURNALISTdirectors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, along with the production team, have revealed how this film was made where the technique of stop motion came to life to deliver as human and realistic a narrative as possible in fantasy.
“This is the trip of a lifetime for me. About 15 years ago we started with 'Pinocchio', and about 10 years ago I promised to focus more and more on animation because, and I want to stress this, the animation is a movie, animation is an art, it's not a genre, it's not just for kids,” said Guillermo del Toro.
The Guadalajara pointed out that since childhood "Pinocchio" - a story created by the Italian writer Carlo Collodi - was present and added him as one of his favorite characters, remembering only as "Frankenstein", "Sherlock Holmes” or “Tarzan” They are figures that have historically transcended the popular collective and are by far the most adaptable due to their metaphors and their reflection on the human essence.
“These are characters who even if you haven't read them, you know their story or you think you know it and therefore, you can use them as metaphors for science, for human emotions, for many things (…) J thought it could be a great tool to say how beautiful and fragile we are as human beings, and how much we need each other.
Keeping in mind that he longed for a special story based on the original story, Guillermo always had in mind to adapt this plot to his characteristic dark style and version it from a more adult point of view, but maintaining this reflection on the identity that little "Pinocchio" and his father "Geppetto" represent and how they apprehend the world faced with a chaotic society and banal temptations at every step.
“I would say almost the majority of the 'Pinocchio' stories are about obedience. Ours is about disobedience. Disobedience, being a primary factor in becoming human, does not mean changing oneself or others, it is understanding. I think the first step to conscience and soul, for me, is disobedience. »
An ode to animation
Guillermo del Toro recalled that although it was 15 years ago he began to evoke the idea of making his own "Pinocchio", discovering the new drawings that illustrator Gris Grimly was preparing for his own story published in 2002 , he found precisely this aesthetic version that he had also imagined for a different and more realistic "Pinocchio" unlike other versions that humanized and tamed the character, so he did not hesitate to define that this visual essence, with a "Pinocchio" really made of wood and articulated as such, was the "eureka" that I was looking for so much.
“As soon as I saw the drawing of 'Pinocchio' by Gris (Grimly), which was essential, I thought: this is the key to make a new version. Gris has been an active artist for several decades and has a style of his own. His 'Pinocchio' had this rebellion, almost a force of nature, an undomesticated essence. This is exactly the age at which 'Pinocchio' exists, which is curious, but rebellious. »
Talents of Jalisco
During the interview with national and international media, Guillermo del Toro exclusively presented the first five minutes of the film and explained point by point the enormous creative work that has been carried out with puppets, film sets, digital art and animation executed between (Portland) USA, (London) England and at the Chucho Workshop in (Guadalajara) Mexico, where 40 people participated to animate and create various characters such as "Pepe Cricket".
“Luckily or by chance, the animation movement in my country, in my state (Jalisco), was started by me and my partner (Rigo Mora) with these cameras. The cameras survived the robbery (laughs) and continued to be used by several members of the community who ended up cheering on 'Pinocchio'. I thought 'Pinocchio' was the perfect way to show off that talent, having 40 people in Guadalajara is highlighting a great scene: that's who we are, that's what we do, fantastic entertainers, world-class entertainers.
The creative symbiosis
Although both Mark Gustafson and Guillermo del Toro are passionate about animation and each of his trenches have promoted their perspectives in this genre, both acknowledge having different values in cinematic language, an element that was essential in finding a common ground. agreement to reach the darkest, most thoughtful and human of this new "Pinocchio".
"I think our sensibilities, our notions of how things should go were on the same page, so it made it easier to go back and forth and figure out what we wanted from a scene," Gustafson said.
From this perfect but also strange calibration, Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson found the perfect team to bring "Pinocchio" to life both on set and in its pre and post-production process, recruiting talent such as: Guy Davis (Production Designer), Curt Enderle (Production Designer), Robert DeSue (Art Director), Georgina Hayns (Character Crafting Director), Brian Leif Hansen (Animation Supervisor) and Frank Passingham (director of photography), and in Jalisco known as the “Magnificent Seven”: Luis Téllez, René Castillo, Rita Basulto, Karla Castañeda, Sofía Carrillo, Juan José Medina and León Fernández.
"While the script was being worked on, I started working with Guillermo on some character concepts, taking Gris' original design, but also taking it from something more cartoonish to a more cartoony, removing certain angles, proportions,” explained production manager Guy Davis.
Regarding the experience of working with the animators of Guadalajara, Georgina Hayns, director of character making, highlighted the great talent shown in the Chucho workshop, highlighting the great leadership of Guillermo del Toro towards his selected animators for this project: "We work in close collaboration with the Taller del Chucho, which is a studio created especially for that (the animation), its small team of puppeteers, filmmakers and producers. The intention was to integrate them into this film. It was an exciting project. »
Finally, if there is a fundamental department to calibrate all the new magical world of "Pinocchio" in the eyes of Guillermo del Toro, it is photography, and although the director of photography Frank Passingham was about to launch in another project, when Mark Gustafson proposed this challenge to him, He did not hesitate to accept it, but not before carrying out a meeting with Netflix and the man from Guadalajara himself to get the concept and the expectations that they had in mind before a darker version of the mythical character.
“I said to him: I know how specific you are with colors in your films, I have seen all your films, and I know that it is something that is very close to your heart, and it is something thing I know you want to be absolutely specific. For me, I think color is something very intrinsic to the cinematography (photography) of the film. It's something that I also like to be closely involved with. »
Synopsis
What is "Pinocchio" about?
Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reimagines Carlo Collodi's classic tale about the wooden puppet who magically comes to life to heal the heart of a sad carpenter.
Actor Ewan McGregor brings 'Jiminy Cricket' to life. COURTESY/Netflix
the perfect cast
A relevant detail that “Pinocchio” had more than defined was the cast that would give life, with their voices, to the mythical characters, since Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson knew who would be the ideal actors from the conception of the script, therefore managing to summon: David Bradley, as “Geppetto”; Ewan McGregor, as "Jimin Cricket" and main narrator, Ron Perlman, as "Podesta".
Christoph Waltz plays "Count Volpe"; Tilda Swinton arrives as "Blue Fairy"; Finn Wolfhard is "Candlewick", while Cate Blanchett plays "Mono".
But for the most part, the attention fell on the main character: "Pinocchio", who is played by the young talent Gregory Mann, among more than 100 child candidates.
“It was just amazing, it stood out from everyone else we watched. And we said: this is our 'Pinocchio'", underlined Mark agreeing with Guillermo that Gregory's performance, despite his lack of experience in front of the cameras, offered the most natural and close interpretation of what was sought.
Director Mark Gustafson noted that beyond being the obvious protagonist of the story, this new "Pinocchio" really became the essence of the film, being by far the most difficult character in his character-building nature. as a puppet – which involved making a giant head or miniature versions to realize each scene's perspectives and real-world proportion, as well as emotional development.
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SOURCE: Reviews News
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