'A masterpiece': Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' wins Best Animated Feature at Oscars 2023

'Animation is cinema,' said del Toro as he accepted the award
UPDATED MAR 13, 2023
Guillermo del Toro (L) and Mark Gustafson (R) accept the Best Animated Feature Film award onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Guillermo del Toro (L) and Mark Gustafson (R) accept the Best Animated Feature Film award onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The most eagerly anticipated night of the year is here. The Oscars 2023 ceremony took place at the Dolby Theater in Ovation Hollywood. With many animated films such as 'Turning Red,' 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,' 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' and 'The Sea Beast' being nominated, the 95th Annual Academy Awards began with Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' winning the Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Oscars - the third Oscar of his career.

del Toro's masterpiece was the frontrunner at the awards ceremony and the award was much expected. However, it was the director's speech that stole the show. "Animation is cinema," del Toro said in an emotional acceptance speech. The haunting stop-motion musical fantasy was inspired by the 1883 Italian novel 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi and influenced by Gris Grimly's illustrations from the 2002 book edition. The 58-year-old Del Toro tells the classic story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who dreams of being a real boy and is cared for by the carver Geppetto.

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'Animation is not a genre'

Guillermo del Toro accepts the Best Animated Feature Film award for
Guillermo del Toro accepts the Best Animated Feature Film award for 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson arrived on stage to present the first award of the evening - Best Animated Feature. "Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre. Animation is ready to be taken to the next step. Please help us keep animation in the conversation," teary-eyed del Toro said as he thanked his parents and wife and asked the audience to help him create a world where animation is not reserved for a specific genre, but is a way to create brilliant cinema.

'Now treat animation with respect'

Internet truly came together to celebrate 'Pinocchio's victory and director Guillermo del Toro's dedication to creating art through cinema, one user added, "Deserveee!!!!", with another adding, "A masterpiece!", while some spitting facts with, "Now treat animation with respect" and another user chiming in with, "Thought this meant that Pinocchio had won Best Picture and Best Director for a moment."



 



 



 



 

Del Toro has many achievements, including his 2018 Oscar wins for best picture and best director for 'The Shape of Water.' The Guadalajara-born filmmaker’s works are known for their poetic twists of magic, horror, themes of Roman Catholicism, cinematic metaphors and use of both Spanish and English languages.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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