We were delighted to host acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro at DNEG London this week!

On Monday, October 10th Guillermo del Toro visited our London studio to give our teams a sneak peek of his new film – a stop-motion spin on the classic tale Pinocchio – ahead of its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15. It was a big day of behind-the-scenes secrets and amazing puppets, and an even bigger day for our crew to get to meet this filmmaking legend!

David Prescott, Senior VP of Creative, moderated a conversation and Q&A with Guillermo and Pinocchio’s Director of Fabrication, Georgina Hayns, to learn more about the vision of the film, why they chose to stop motion animation as the medium and the challenges they faced.

Afterwards, David said, “It is an honour anytime we can host someone who is as big a fan of all aspects of film and animation as Guillermo is. It is always such an inspiration to see veterans of the craft breaking new ground and honouring age-old traditions.”

As the sun set over the studio, everyone was invited to partake in a “meet and greet” with the puppets, which allowed the crew to gain a new perspective on how detailed the puppets have to be to display such a wide range of emotions.

“Georgina sharing her puppets with the team and being so willing to engage was a true treat that everyone loved,” said Dara McGarry, Director of Outreach.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Guillermo and Georgina for joining us for this special INSPIRE event. Make sure to check out Pinocchio in theatres this November and on Netflix in December!