Ever since Netflix’s stop-motion Pinocchio movie arrived on the platform earlier in the month, the film from directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson has received high marks and no shortage of acclaim. It seems likely to get some nominations at the Oscars (and already has over at the Golden Globes), and has been made a part of several end of year “Best of” lists, including two of io9’s own.
If you find that you can’t get enough of the good Pinocchio as the year winds down, Netflix has released the full digital version of the film’s 224-page art book, written by Gina McIntyre and free for all to consume. McIntyre’s been a longtime author of art books and companion pieces for movies, with his bibliography including books for Little Women 2019, Ready Player One, and previous del Toro films The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley. Along with concept art of the characters, certain scenes, and promotional material (and commentary from key staff), the book includes a foreword from del Toro himself.
“My life has been supported by two essential myths: Frankenstein and Pinocchio,” begins the foreword. “Both are father-son stories. Both are about oddities learning to navigate the ways of the world in search of their own humanity. That, in a nutshell (or a pine cone), is my entire life. […] I knew I didn’t want Pinocchio to transform into a flesh-and-blood boy—I just wanted him to teach the world to see him as one.”
In addition to the art book, Netflix also made the Pinocchio screenplay similarly flreely available for the public. The 120-page script was co-written by del Toro and Over the Garden Wall creator Patrick McHale, spinning out of the story initially conceived by the former and screenwriter Matthew Robbins. If you’ve got any interest in film, either or both are definitely well worth checking out. It’s good that Netflix is doing what it can to incentivize audiences to learn more about the making of the film, which is just as well, because it many may consider it the streamer’s best film for all of 2022.
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