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Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

This year’s frontrunner for just about every animation prize and several crossover awards, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio scored its biggest win of awards season yet, taking the Golden Globe for best animated motion picture during tonight’s ceremony.

The other four films nominated for best animated feature were Inu-Oh, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Turning Red, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

In his acceptance speech, del Toro reminded audiences that, “Animation is cinema,” and that it is “not a genre for kids; it’s a medium.” Every one of us in animation already knows this, but Hollywood could always use a reminder, especially when the declaration comes from someone who has had a legendary career as a live-action filmmaker.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson from a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale, based on the eponymous story by Carlo Collodi. It’s a Netflix presentation of a Double Dare You! and Shadowmachine production in association with the Jim Henson Company.

Key creatives on the film included Frank Passingham (director of photography); Guy Davis and Curt Enderle (production design); Ken Schretzman and Holly Klein (editing); Alexandre Desplat (music); Ian MacKinnon, Peter Saunders, and Georgina Hayns (director of character fabrication); Brian Leif Hansen (animation supervisor); Robert DeSue (art direction); Jeffrey Schaper (vfx supervisor); Scott Martin Gershin (sound design and supervision); and Jon Taylor and Frank A. Montano (re-recording mixing).

During its first week on Netflix, Pinocchio was the second-most-watched English-language film on the streamer’s weekly global Top 10 list, despite only being available for three of the seven days that list covered. In its second week, its first full week on Netflix, Pinocchio was the platform’s most-watched English-language film in the world.

Pinocchio is all but guaranteed to score a best animated feature Oscar nomination later this month and has already been shortlisted for the following Oscar categories: sound, original score, and original song (“Ciao Papa”). Many pundits have it as the favorite to win this year’s animated feature award, although there are several strong contenders this year.

Watch our interview with del Toro about Pinocchio, produced in conjunction with our exclusive online event partner INBTWN Animation:

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