Del Toro's Adult Stop-Motion Epic Announced

Guillermo del Toro was recently honored with the prestigious BFI Fellowship in London. To celebrate, the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker engaged in several discussions across the city. He notably participated in an onstage career Q&A session, where he shared insights into his creative process and personal history.

During the event, del Toro revealed details about his upcoming production, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel 'The Buried Giant'. He described it as a challenging stop-motion film intended for adults, explicitly stating it will not cater to a family audience.

Del Toro explained that the story's themes and setting, featuring an elderly couple in a memory-loss-plagued post-Arthurian England, necessitate a stop-motion format. He drew parallels to his 'Pinocchio' adaptation, emphasizing that using stop-motion for fantastical elements prevents an uncanny valley effect and maintains thematic consistency.

The filmmaker also confirmed his reunion with longtime collaborator Ron Perlman for 'The Buried Giant', though Perlman's specific role remains undisclosed. This project is being developed with Netflix, building on their previous work together.

In addition to this new film, del Toro is set to present a 4K restoration of 'Pan's Labyrinth' at Cannes. The BFI is also re-releasing a newly restored 4K version of his debut film, 'Cronos'.