New Pinocchio film gives jump start to Jalisco animation studio

A new stop-motion animated movie based on the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio will have a famous “Made in Mexico” stamp on it.

The upcoming Netflix film Pinocchio was partially produced at the Centro Internacional de Animación (CIA), or International Animation Center, in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Founded by Pinocchio director and Guadalajara native Guillermo del Toro, the CIA is Latin America’s first stop motion production studio.

CIA director Angélica Lares told the news agency EFE that del Toro personally decided that part of his new movie would be made in Guadalajara. “He’s attentive to what we do. We’re constantly talking about what’s coming up,” she added.

Lares said that the CIA had an “unbeatable” beginning, given that it had the opportunity to work on Pinocchio shortly after it opened.

She said that the studio will seek to collaborate on more international projects, noting that it is especially well suited to the production of stop-motion films.

“We have … the spaces, equipment and staff [required for animation projects] and that’s a good thing because productions generally have to put together a studio from zero,” Lares said.

Rita Basulto, a renowned Mexican animator who worked on Pinocchio, told EFE that the CIA’s work on the film showed what the studio is capable of. “Making scenes for this feature film shows that work of a very high level can be done here,” she said

Featuring the voices of actors such as Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz and Cate Blanchett, Pinocchio is scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2022.

The CIA is now working on Mexican animator León Fernández’s short film Ramas Torcidas but given the large size of its facilities, it has plenty of room to take on additional projects.

“We’re interested in bringing international productions but also creating [Mexican] intellectual property” and contributing to the development of new local talent, Lares said.

With reports from EFE