As Netflix prepares to debut its own unique animated take on Pinocchio, the Guillermo del Toro-directed feature unveils a trailer that tugs on heartstrings while showcasing its unique style.

The trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio has arrived, adding powerful pathos to what past teasers and imagery previously revealed. Of course, the classic exploits of Pinocchio, the puppet who aspired to be a real boy, has been ingrained in global culture since Disney's famous 1940 animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's 1880s-spun story. However, as the reinvented classic character Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) aptly explains of this iteration in his intro, "It's a story you may think you know, but you don't."

Related: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Reviews Praise the Dark But Imaginative Take on a Classic

The new clip's array of stunningly stylistic visuals complements the film's emphasis on the tragic aspects of Pinocchio's (Gregory Mann) aspirations. That element is compounded by the uniquely unrefined wooden appearance of the stop-motion-concocted character. Moreover, del Toro's choice of a shocking sphynx-like giant quadrupedal, winged version of the Fairy Godmother makes for a standout scene. These aesthetic and tonal changes are advantageous for the film since it will arrive at the heels of another major Pinocchio movie, that being the live-action adaptation from Disney from famed director Robert Zemeckis.

Netflix and Disney's Pinocchio Competition

The choices might prove fortuitous since Disney's version, which even touted the star power of Tom Hanks as Geppetto, became the center of a rare moment in which both critics and audiences excoriated the film. Indeed, ever since the film's Sept. 8 release on Disney+, its average critic/audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes have leveled to a point in which they practically mirror one another, with an anemic 27% and 29%, respectively. Notably, the crux of the criticism resides with its visuals, which are widely seen as sub-par, compounding the fact that it was released exclusively to streaming. Thus, Netflix will come to the table with an offering that presents quite a contrast from its Disney+ counterpart.

Related: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Is Already Outdoing Disney's in a Crucial Way

Pinocchio's Revival of Stop-Motion

Consequently, the visual aspects of this version were a driving force for the filmmaker, as reflected in his move to (unconventionally) give his stop-motion animators the same reverence as its headliners. "One significant step on Pinocchio (2022) is that we credit the animators right up front alongside the cast members- because they are [equals]," he recently tweeted. "And we are touring w the puppets and Georgina Hayns to showcase the artistry that allows that performance." As del Toro further explained of this approach another interview, "I wanted to return the controls of animation to the animators, and treat [the animators] as actors."

Mark Gustafson serves as co-director of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, working off a screenplay del Toro penned with Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins. Besides the presence of voice stars Gregory Mann and Ewan McGregor, the cast will also consist of names such as David Bradley, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Finn Wolfhard, John Turturro and Christoph Waltz.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio premieres on Netflix on Dec. 9.

Source: Netflix