A story of loss, love, and healing, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a darker, heartfelt take on the whimsical story that was written to teach children the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, bravery and cowardice. The Pan’s Labyrinth writer/director has set out to turn the Carlo Collodi fable into something even more meaningful, and perhaps even more beautiful, pulling the strings of audiences' hearts as they watch the characters learn that their true strength lies in togetherness.
The stop-motion feature was released on Netflix on December 9, 2022, and is another adaptation of the classic Italian fable, but with a far darker spin. If you’re looking to learn more about del Toro’s rendition of these classic characters, and the talented actors who will be voicing them, we’ve put together this helpful guide with all the information you need on who's who in the critically acclaimed movie.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on December 12, to include new cast info.
Gregory Mann as Pinocchio
Gregory Mann brings to life the character of Pinocchio, a wooden boy with a borrowed soul, carved with love by Gepetto. Pinocchio has much to learn about the world, and sets off to school, though he becomes sidetracked along the way, tricked by a fox, a cat, and a terrifying puppet master. Mann also voices Carlo, the late son of Gepetto who is killed in a bombing raid at the beginning of the film.
Gregory Mann is an actor who is known for his role as Young Eli in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, as well as for playing William Monmouth in the historical drama Victoria in 2019. This will be the young actor's first voice-acting role.
Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket
Ewan McGregor voices Sebastian the Talking Cricket. We know what you're thinking, in the Disney films, The Talking Cricket is called Jiminy, but in the original, the cricket does not have a name. In del Toro's film, the cricket takes on a role similar to that of the cricket of the original story, sharing his wisdom from within the woodshop rather than accompanying Pinocchio on his adventures as a physical reminder of the boy's morality. Sebastian is an aspiring writer who used to live in the tree that Gepetto cut down in order to make Pinocchio.
Ewan McGregor is a recognizable actor known for his lead roles as Renton in Trainspotting and Christian in the 2001 cult classic film Moulin Rouge! More recently, McGregor has reprised his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise, a role he originally took on in 1999. The Angels & Demons actor has previously lent his voice to multiple projects, including Star Wars video games and the 2005 family film Robots. McGregor currently has three projects in pre-production, including an animated adaptation of the critically acclaimed audiobook, The Land of Sometimes.
David Bradley as Gepetto
David Bradley is the voice of Gepetto the woodcarver, who, in del Toro’s telling of the story, carves the wooden boy out of the trunk of a tree that once grew over the grave of his beloved son Carlo. He is described by The Talking Cricket as an imperfect father to an imperfect son. After the loss of Carlo, Gepetto is given another chance at fatherhood through his enchanted creation of Pinocchio.
You might recognize David Bradley from his performance as Mr. Filch, the curmudgeonly caretaker of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter franchise, or as the greedy and manipulative Walder Frey in Game of Thrones. Fans of Simon Pegg movies will also recognize Bradley from his roles as Basil and Arthur Webley in The World’s End and Hot Fuzz, respectively. Bradley will return to voice another stop-motion character in next year's Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, a sequel to the 2000 claymation film Chicken Run.
Tilda Swinton as The Fairy with Turquoise Hair
Tilda Swinton voices the character known as The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, named after the original story’s character, who was the spirit of the forest who treats the wooden boy like a son. Del Toro’s rendition of the Blue Fairy is very different from those who preceded her, with glowing eyes, and peacock feathered wings attached to her ethereal form. In the preview, Swinton’s entrancing voice dreamily tells the wooden boy to fill his father's days with light before giving him his name.
Tilda Swinton is an unmistakable actress, known for her roles in Snowpiercer, Suspiria, and Only Lovers Left Alive. Marvel fans will recognize her as The Ancient One, who taught Doctor Strange the ways of Eldritch Magic. For her role (or rather, roles) in Suspiria, the actress managed to pull off quite an interesting ruse, donning heavy makeup and portraying an actor named Lutz Ebersdorf, who was credited with the role of the psychologist Dr. Klemperer. The joke went on far past the film's release, with co-stars noting the influence the fictional Ebersdorf had on them during the project. Swinton later admitted in an interview that it was her all along, stating she pulled the joke simply for the fun of it. It was later revealed that Swinton was also the actress under the mounds of makeup portraying the rotting Mother Markos in the very same film.
Finn Wolfhard as Candlewick
The role of troublemaker Candlewick is taken on by Finn Wolfhard. Candlewick, who has also been referred to as Romeo and Lampwick in the original telling of the story, is Pinocchio’s best friend. In the del Toro film he is the son of the fascist Podestà. After initially bullying the wooden boy, he soon becomes friends with him
Finn Wolfhard is most recognizable for his leading role as Mike Wheeler in the Netflix series Stranger Things, which released its fourth season earlier this year. Wolfhard is also known for characters he has taken on in reboots of classic films, such as Richie Tozier in It, and Trevor in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Wolfhard has previously done voice acting work, bringing to life the character of Pugsley Addams in the 2019 animated adaptation of The Addams Family. Fans will be able to hear his voice in the animated series Next Gen, which is currently in production, as well as the comedy-horror film Hell of a Summer, in which Wolfhard is both co-directing and starring.
Christoph Waltz as Count Volpe
Christoph Waltz is credited as a character known as Count Volpe. In a role similar to that of the fox, Volpe is an abusive puppeteer who takes advantage of Pinocchio and his monkey Sprezzatura. He is a cunning antagonist who tricks naive Pinocchio into handing over his money, manipulating him with charm and leading the puppet down a path of temptation.
Christoph Waltz is known for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film Inglorious Bastards, as well as the multitalented Dr. King Shultz in the 2012 spaghetti western Django Unchained. Green Hornet fans will recognize the Horrible Bosses 2 actor as the villain Chudnofsky, who killed James Franco’s Danny Crystal Cleer in the first scene. Apart from narration work, Pinnochio will be the actor's second-ever voice-acting role.
Cate Blanchett as Sprezzatura the Monkey
Cate Blanchett will voice Sprezzatura the Monkey, a new character added to the story who is the abused pet of Count Volpe. The money has a soft-spot for Pinocchio and tries to help him break free from Count Volpe. Blanchett was cast in the role after del Toro compared the actress to a cheeky, naughty twelve-year-old boy on the set of Nightmare Alley.
Cate Blanchett is known for her rather serious characters, such as her role as the titular Carol in the 2015 adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith drama, for which the actress won multiple awards. In the 2004 film The Aviator, which told the story of legendary business magnate and director Howard Hughes, Blanchett took on the role of actress Katharine Hepburn, the romantic interest of the troubled aviator. Lord of the Rings fans will recognize Blanchett as the powerful Elf known as Galadriel, the Lady of the woods. Blanchett has taken on voice acting roles in the past, bringing characters to life in Ponyo, Family Guy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and more. Recently she played the lead role in Todd Field's TÁR, which some have speculated could land the Thespian her third Academy Award. The Blue Jasmine actress will next be starring in the thriller series Disclaimer, which is said to follow a journalist who exposes the transgressions of respected institutions.
Ron Perlman as Podestá
Ron Perlman voices Podesta who is one of the main antagonists in del Toro's film. He's a fascist government official who tries to exploit Pinocchio into becoming a child soldier in the war. He's the father of Candlewick and spreads propaganda across the town.
Ron Perlman is both a screen and stage actor who has appeared in over 200 cinematic projects. He is most recognizable, under significant makeup, as Hellboy from the first two films of the franchise, and as Pernell Harris in the series Hand of God. In 2021, Perlman portrayed the politically incorrect Benedict Drask in Don’t Look Up alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and worked alongside his Pinnochio costar Cate Blanchet in the crime drama Nightmare Alley. The Beauty and the Beast actor has had an incredibly busy year, with twelve projects currently in varying stages of production, including the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, in which Perlman takes on the role of Optimus Primal, a hybrid robotic animal inspired by the Beast Wars spinoff.
Tim Blake Nelson as the Black Rabbits
Tim Blake Nelson voices the Black Rabbits who populate the afterlife that Pinocchio visits over the course of the film. They act as minions of sorts to the fairy and carry his coffin up a mountain each time he dies.
Tim Blake Nelson has previously worked with del Toro on Nightmare Alley and Cabinet of Curiosities. He's become one of the most sought-after character actors in the business having appeared in blockbusters such as The Incredible Hulk, Angel Has Fallen, and Minority Report as well as awards-friendly fare from the likes of Just Mercy, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and Lincoln. He has also appeared in a number of television shows such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Lost Ollie, and the Emmy-winning Watchmen. He is next set to appear in the action-adventure romance Ghosted starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas and Rian Johnson's upcoming series Poker Face alongside Natasha Lyonne. He is also set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: New World Order, where he'll be reprising his role as Samuel Sterns aka the Leader.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio also features the voices of John Turturro as the doctor, Burn Gorman as the Priest, and Tom Kenny as Benito Mussolini. Don't forget to get your tickets for the theatrical run or if you prefer streaming, click on this button to head to the movie's landing page on Netflix, which you can bookmark ahead of its release: