“Pinocchio” by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro won the Oscar for best animated feature on Sunday, the third Oscar of his career.
The haunting stop-motion musical fantasy was inspired by the 1883 Italian novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, and informed by Gris Grimly’s illustrations from the 2002 edition of the book.
Del Toro, 58, reinvents the classic story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who dreams of being a real boy, cared for by sculptor Geppetto.
However, the story of the Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) movie is set in Fascist Italy during the interwar period and World War II.
“Pinocchio” prevailed over other popular nominees’ stop-motion film “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” from A24 and the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) 3D animated film “Turning Red”.
Del Toro received numerous accolades, including his 2018 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director for “The Shape of Water.”
The Guadalajara-born filmmaker’s works are known for their infusion of fairy tale magic, horror motifs, Roman Catholicism themes, grotesque imagery, and use of Spanish and English.