“Guillermo del Toro: Crafting ‘Pinocchio’” is set to run at MoMA from December 11, 2022, through April 15, 2023. It will be part of a larger celebration of del Toro’s work at the museum. It will be accompanied by screenings of “Pinocchio,” a retrospective of his other films, and a “Carte Blanche” screening series curated by del Toro himself. According to MoMA’s official description, the exhibit will include “five full working sets and four large set pieces, alongside puppets and marionettes, maquettes, sculptural molds, drawings, development materials, time-lapse and motion-test videos, and props from the film. In the Black Family Film Center gallery space, visitors will experience a newly commissioned, immersive video series that explores themes frequently seen in del Toro’s films; a comprehensive selection of studio-issued and alternative art posters; and a specially created, site-specific soundscape. The exhibition will demonstrate how teams of professionals in a remarkable range of mediums worked collaboratively in Portland, Oregon, and Guadalajara, Mexico, to create the film.”
In addition to del Toro’s new film, the exhibition will also examine the book that inspired it: “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi. Rather than focus on the text, the exhibition will present various print editions of the book from the past two centuries to compare how different illustrators visualized the story. “With del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio,’ we had the unique opportunity to organize an exhibition during the active production of a feature film by one of this generation’s most important filmmakers,” said MoMA curator Ron Magliozzi. “The chance to observe first-hand how Guillermo engaged with the craftspeople and artists under his direction inspired our selection and installation of the works on display.” This is far from the first time that MoMA has honored the art of cinematic animation. The museum has previously hosted similar tributes to the work of Pixar, Tim Burton, and the Quay Brothers. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.