Pinocchio Directors Reveal Dark Scene That Was Cut Back (Exclusive)

By Adam Barnhardt

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio has debuted on Netflix to stellar reviews, boasting a near-perfect 98-percent Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the project is the first time the filmmaker has directed an animated feature, del Toro's signature dark tone can be felt throughout the picture, including a haunting opening sequence in which the main character is killed by Italian fascist Benito Mussolini.

As del Toro and his directorial partner Mark Gustafson tell us, Mussolini's role was always set to be a part of the film in some shape, way, or form. That said, the opening scene was initially much different, finding Carlo (Gregory Mann) being murdered by a firing squad. "We had it [Mussolini shooting Pinocchio] early on, but we originally had it as a shooting squad," del Toro tells ComicBook.com's Chris Killiam.

Gustafson adds, "We had it as a shooting squad on the beach. That seemed a little dark, so we came to our senses."

While it was dark, del Toro says it wasn't the tone that caused the opening scene to be cut. Instead, the firing squad slowed the pace of the film to a crawl. "What it was, was the rhythm. We had already shot most of that scene but the movie took a big, big pause for a scene that was just not necessary," the director continues. "We said, 'Let's be more reasonable and shoot him directly.'"

The film has been receiving rave reviews from anyone who's seen it, including Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson.

"Just saw @RealGDT's Pinocchio. Visually astonishing, dense with beautifully complex ideas about moral goodness, and an emotional ending that is truly sublime," Derrickson tweeted in October. "Guillermo's PINOCCHIO is a masterpiece. Beautiful, surreal, brilliant. The last 5 minutes wrecked me. A wonderful meditation on love, mortality, and, as is common in Guillermo's work, being loved for who you are. Will be paired annually with FANTASTIC MR. FOX. A true delight," Derrickson's longtime collaborator and writer, C. Robert Cargill, added. 

Pinocchio is del Toro's first animated feature and stars Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, the cricket who lives in Pinocchio's wooden heart and serves as the film's storyteller. Del Toro teams with the Jim Henson Company and ShadowMachine on the stop-motion animation take on Carlo Collodi's novel, which follows a puppet boy who comes to life. With McGregor, the voice cast also includes David Bradley as Geppetto, Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, and Burn Gorman, with Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.

Trending Now: