Guillermo Del Toro Asks To “Keep Animation In The Conversation” After ‘Pinocchio’ Oscar Win

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, beating out Turning Red, The Sea Beast, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

This marks writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s third Oscar win and his first win in the Animated Feature category, as well as the first nomination and win for director Mark Gustafson and producers Alex Bulkley and Gary Ungar. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio also marks Netflix’s first win in the Best Animated Feature Oscar category.

“Animation is cinema,” said del Toro. “Animation is not a genre and animation is ready to be taken to the next step. We are all ready for it. Please help us keep animation in the conversation.”

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio delivers a visually stunning stop-motion adaptation of the Pinocchio fable, reimagining the story in 1930s Italy during the Fascist reign of Benito Mussolini. After the loss of his son Carlo due to an aerial bomb, woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) carves a wooden boy from the tree at Carlo’s grave, which has recently become the home of a cricket named Sebastian (Ewan McGregor). A mysterious Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) brings the puppet to life, names him Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), and promises to grant Sebastian a wish if he serves as the boy’s conscience.

“This art form we love, stop-motion is very much alive and well,” said Gustafson as he accepted the award, before thanking del Toro, who he claims is the “genesis of everything, including my drinking problem.”