At this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Guillermo del Toro delivered a series of masterclasses that left audiences both inspired and alarmed. The Mexican filmmaker, known for masterpieces such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and the Oscar-winning Pinocchio, announced a significant career shift: after a few remaining live-action projects, he will dedicate himself entirely to animation.

Del Toro's love for animation goes back to his childhood, when he used his father's Super 8 camera to create early stop-motion experiments. He recounted those first days in Guadalajara, often broke, surviving on dog food to save money for film equipment. His initial dream of making a stop-motion feature was shattered when vandals broke into his studio and destroyed hundreds of puppets and sets, forcing him toward live-action with his debut Cronos. Yet animation has always been his first love, and now he intends to make it his last.

A 'Shit Sandwich' of an Industry

Despite his two Oscars and status as a living legend, del Toro painted a grim picture of the film industry. "In the last two months, they said no to five of my projects," he told the Annecy audience. "Making films is like eating a shit sandwich. There's always shit; sometimes you have a little more bread." He described the industry as "oriented towards grinding shit and destroying your art," and warned aspiring filmmakers to expect constant frustration and encounters with "assholes." His advice: "Keep faith in the stories you want to tell, and wait for someone to buy them."

The director's candor resonated with many in the audience, especially younger animators who face similar rejections. Del Toro emphasized that even he struggles, but his passion for storytelling remains undimmed. He stressed that animation, especially stop-motion, is "the most beautiful form of animation because it's the most intimate." He described the craft as a collaborative magic that needs to be preserved and passed on.

Animation: The Art Form 'Kidnapped by Hooligans'

Del Toro didn't hold back in his criticism of mainstream animation studios. He accused them of treating animation as a disposable product for children, calling the medium "kidnapped by a bunch of hooligans" who avoid risk and churn out "emoji-style" films where everyone is "happy and impertinent." He contrasted this with his vision of animation that portrays real, messy human emotions—the kind he experienced in his own family. "My father was boring, I was boring, everyone in my family was boring. We didn't have one-liners. We're all messed up. That's what I want to see animated."

He called for a reclamation of the art form: "We need to save it. I think we can hijack a lot of good shit into the world of animation, like a Trojan horse." Drawing a parallel with the horror genre, which was long dismissed by Hollywood, del Toro argued that animation deserves a seat at the adult table. He praised festivals like Annecy for providing a platform for emerging talents and for celebrating the medium's diversity.

Del Toro also took aim at the corporate language used by studios. "When someone calls stories 'content,' when someone says 'pipeline,' they're using sewer language," he said. He dismissed fears about artificial intelligence, stating, "Don't be afraid of any intelligence, but rather of stupidity. All intelligence is artificial. Stupidity is natural, 100 percent natural, organic. Fear stability. That's the real enemy." He emphasized the need for handcrafted, human-made art, declaring, "I hate perfection."

Upcoming Projects: Frankenstein and The Buried Giant

Despite his frustrations, del Toro is pressing forward. He is set to begin production on his long-gestating live-action Frankenstein project this summer (pending the writers' strike), starring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Andrew Garfield. After that, he will return to Netflix for a stop-motion adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Buried Giant, using the same techniques that made Pinocchio a visual triumph. The novel follows an elderly couple in a post-Arthurian England where no one can retain long-term memories—a perfect canvas for del Toro's unique blend of fantasy and emotional depth.

Del Toro's commitment to animation is unwavering. He repeatedly told young filmmakers at Annecy, "If you love animation, then teach it, share it. If you have that love, share it. We're a bunch of bastards trying to keep alive an ancient form of magic. So share it and make it circulate." His words were both a rallying cry and a warning: the battle for respect for animation is far from over, but it's one worth fighting—with passion, with craft, and with the unyielding belief that animation can transcend the limits of reality.

Source: euronews News