In an interview with ACE Universe, actor Ewan McGregor revealed that he’ll be voicing Jiminy Cricket in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation of Pinocchio.
Based on a collection of Italian bedtime stories about a wooden marionette wanting to become a real child, the Pinocchio character was first made famous by Disney, who produced an animated feature on the subject in the 1940s. Apparently, del Toro has been wanting to tackle the intellectual property himself for quite some time.
At first glance, you may wonder why the director of thrillers like Pan’s Labyrinth and the Academy Award-winning adult drama The Shape of Water wants to adapt such childish source material. However, the story of Pinocchio is actually surprisingly dark. From escaping child slavery to battling a monstrous, carnivorous whale, the character has traversed more dangers than some of Disney’s most seasoned knights.
Then there’s McGregor himself who, as fans of films like Christopher Robin and Trainspotting know already, has quite a graveling and mature voice. Compared to Cliff Edwards, who lent his soothing vocal cords to the character of Jiminy in Disney’s initial adaptation, this casting decision seems to imply that Pinocchio’s consciousness is going to act a lot more mature this time around.
According to McGregor, Guillermo’s film – which will be made using stop-motion as opposed to traditional animation – is well underway. Telling ACE reporters he had already recorded some of his lines, it’s safe to say that production on the project is long past development. A script exists, actors have been cast and now, all we need is our first look at what will be – knowing the director – a visually captivating movie.
Do you think McGregor makes a good fit for Jiminy Cricket in this Pinocchio adaptation, though? Let us know in the comments below.
