International sales agency YTINIFNI PICTURES will be bringing a new CG twist on a classic story world to the Cannes Film Festival and market (May 8-17) with The Adventures of Pinocchio. The film follows the heroic little puppet on a high-stakes quest to the other side of the world. Worldwide pre-sales are now open, with US distribution currently in discussion.
The family-friendly comedy-adventure kicks off when a Chinese wizard named Dr. Wushi visits the Italian town of Bagnone, where he uses a drop of magical Aqua Vita on the nose of a certain marionette, and brings Pinocchio to life. The town is home to a puppet theater where the mean-spirited owner loves to stage violent “Punch and Judy” skits. Fed up, the puppet-maker sends Pinocchio and his guide Coot on an epic trek to China t acquire more Aqua Vita and bring the other puppets to life — but things don’t work out quite the way the little wooden boy imagines.
First published in the 1880s, Italian author Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is one of the world’s best-loved stories, being translated into more than 260 languages and inspiring many adaptations in other media. It is the most-translated non-religious book in the world, and remains one of the best-selling books ever published.
