Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Guillermo Del Toro has become one of the most prolific filmmakers of the modern age thanks to his unique voice, resilience on non-CGI creatures, and his unrelenting patience for his craft. Before working behind the camera, Del Toro worked for much of his early career in makeup and special effects, trained and mentored by Dick Smith. Working alongside Smith for ten years, Del Toro eventually cofounded his own visual effects studio named “Necropia”. This early interest and experience with practical effects laid the groundwork for almost all his projects to come, beginning with his first film Omnivore.

            Although Omnivore, a stop-motion sci-fi horror, involving over one-hundred handmade puppets built over three years might feel right in line with Del Toro’s style, he unfortunately lost almost all the work after a group of vandals broke into the studio and destroyed the majority of the puppets and sets. This resulted in a complete reset of the project, and he went on to create his first live action film, Chronos, which is more in line with the films audiences have come to know and love him for. However, while Del Toro may have stuck to the live-actions scene for a number of years, his passion and love for visual effects has continued to shine throughout. From the faceless man in Pan’s Labyrinth, to the fishmen of Hellboy and The Shape of Water, there are plenty of creatures and critters which could only exist in the mind of Guillermo Del Toro. These however are not the only staples you can find throughout Del Toro’s work. In one of his first commercial successes, The Devil’s Backbone, Del Toro’s passion for creatures, as well as Spanish history and culture, really shine through. Likewise, Del Toro has acted as producer on a number of horror and monstrous works including Netflix’s Cabinet of Curiosities as well as multiple “Godzilla” titles.

            Near the end of last year, Del Toro released what is likely to be considered the culmination of everything has made up until this point, Pinocchio. Produced over a whopping fourteen years, the project included thirty-two different puppets for the model of Pinocchio alone, and brough a darker, more personal twist on the story. Taking place in 1930’s Italy with the threat of fascism looming over their heads, the film includes all the fairy tale wonder one should expect, as well as an absolute technical marvel that Del Toro continues to flex with each consecutive project.

            Guillermo Del Toro’s filmmaking has evolved immensely over his career, but his consistent care and passion put into every project shines though, making him one of the most respected filmmakers working today. From a disaster following years of hard work, to one of the most beautifully crafted works of animation ever seen, Del Toro has never failed to let creativity take precedence or all, and he will always be one of my biggest inspirations.

Writer: Cooper Lyon

Artist: Cooper Lyon