"Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents the classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world," reads the synopsis of the new Pinocchio production, set to premiere in December on Netflix.

Del Toro’s Pinocchio will be the debut of the Mexican as director of an animated feature film on Netflix. He will also write the script and produce it as a stop motion musical.

“No art form has influenced my life and work more than animation, and I have had as deep a personal connection with no character in history as I have with Pinocchio. In our story, Pinocchio is an innocent soul with an indifferent father who is lost in a world he cannot understand. He embarks on an extraordinary journey, which will allow him to understand his father and the real world. I’ve been waiting to produce this movie my whole life. After the incredible experience we've had with Trollhunters, I'm grateful that the great team at Netflix has given me the unique opportunity to present my version of this puppet-turned-boy to audiences globally," the filmmaker said in a statement.

Del Toro sets this new version of the classic Pinocchio tale in 1930 Italy.

Pinocchio is produced by del Toro, The Jim Henson Company (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) and ShadowMachine (Bojack Horseman, The Shivering Truth), created the stop-motion production. Along with del Toro, Lisa Henson, Alex Bulkley of ShadowMachine, Corey Campodonico and Gary Ungar of Exile Entertainment will also produce, with Blanca Lista serving as co-producer. Patrick McHale (Beyond the Garden, Adventure Time) will co-write, Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) will co-direct, and Guy Davis is co-production designer, drawing inspiration from Gris Grimly's original design for the Pinocchio character.

The voice cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Ron Perlman, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, and David Bradley.

The puppets for the film will be produced by Mackinnon and Saunders (Corpse Bride).

Who is Guillermo del Toro?

The Mexican director is one of the few artists who most frequently blurs the lines between film and television, live-action and animation. He has more than a decade of experience as executive producer on DreamWorks Animation feature films, including Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Rise of the Guardians.

Del Toro's films include: Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Hellboy II, The Devil's Backbone, Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water, winner of a Golden Globe for Best Picture and an Oscar in the same category. This film also led him to a statuette for Best Director 2018.