Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio received an Oscar nomination today, marking the first Oscar nom for animation studio ShadowMachine. Producers Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley spoke to Deadline with their reactions.
“It’s an absolute surreal moment,” says Bulkley. “Something to celebrate, it’s exciting to say the least.”
RELATED: Oscar Nominations 2023: Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Bulkley and Campodonico have been involved with the production of Pinocchio for 10 years, and they say they’ve learned so much from directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson. “We’re so lucky to experience the leadership of both Guillermo and Mark,” says Campodonico.
“To follow Guillermo del Toro into the fire of 1000 days of production, it just doesn’t get much better,” says Bulkley.
RELATED: Oscar Best Picture Winners Through The Years – Photo Gallery
Campodonico and Bulkley attribute the film’s wide appeal to del Toro’s unique style and heartwarming story. “It’s unique for a lot of reasons,” says Campodonico, “but stylistically being in stop-motion and the interpretation being so very Guillermo… The authenticity in the film is really easy to connect to – the very real human aspects of why we’re here and what we’re all searching for.”
“There’s a sort of universal appreciation of life and death [in the film], and the short time we have together,” says Bulkley. “I think that emotional foundation in the storytelling resonated with people. Love really can be felt in almost every single frame. The foresight from Netflix to really embrace and support the very unique vision Guillermo had going into this is just amazing. To have such a powerful vision for this adaptation, and be able to execute it, is a testament to both Guillermo and Mark as filmmakers.”
Although they can’t give any specifics on new series or features, Campodonico and Bulkley say they are excited about everything they have in development. “Nothing happens overnight in this business,” says Campodonico. “These are the moments to celebrate, but there’s a lot of groundwork that goes into getting to these moments.”
“Never a dull day at ShadowMachine,” says Bulkley.
