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Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated adaptation buried giant After its initial announcement in 2023, Netflix is still moving forward. After the huge success of the Oscar winning film pinocchio And last year’s live-action frankensteinThe visionary director recently confirmed that his next animated feature is officially in the making – and it’ll be a completely adult, stop-motion epic. Here’s our updated 2026 guide for everything we know so far buried giant.
The project has been confirmed for an early 2023 release, but we recently received a major update on its progress, and thankfully, unlike many other Netflix animation projects that go quietly, it remains in active development. In May 2026, while receiving the British Film Institute’s highest honor (BFI Fellowship) in London, Guillermo del Toro came on stage to confirm that the gears were officially turning. buried giant.
The film’s mature tone was confirmed by del Toro being front and center (via). deadline). He proudly described the upcoming adaptation as “a charmingly tough stop-motion film for adults” that is being produced “without any concessions to family audiences.”
Del Toro is directing the feature and also co-writing the script dennis kellyA writer whose impressive resume also includes Netflix matilda the musical, utopiaAnd on the third day. The project is a key pillar of del Toro’s ongoing overall deal with Netflix, which has already given us the unprecedented hit cabinet of curiosities and the above titles, as well as indirect titles such as Global Picking i am frankelda.
Because this is a massive, incredibly complex stop-motion epic, the physical production is being handled carefully inside the animation studio. ShadowMachine—the fantastic stop-motion studio that served as home base Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio– Coming back to handle animation buried giant. Founded in 1999 and with offices in Portland and Los Angeles, the studio also worked Tiny Chef Show, bojack horsemanAnd long story short.
However, fans shouldn’t expect a flurry of rapid-fire set photos. Stop-motion animation is extremely laborious and time consuming. Del Toro himself made sure to temper expectations regarding the timeline, warning the BFI crowd about how big the undertaking is: “It’s going to take us several years. And it’s incredibly difficult.”
what is the plot of buried giant?
The Buried Giant Artwork
buried giant is an adaptation of the best-selling 2015 fantasy novel from acclaimed author Kazuo Ishiguro, who spent a decade writing the immersive narrative.
Here’s the official synopsis of the story:
In a fictional post-Arthurian medieval England, the wars once fought between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ended. Axel and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set out to meet their son, whom they have not seen in years. And, because a strange fog has caused mass amnesia across the entire country – preventing anyone from retaining long-term memories – they can hardly remember anything about him. As they set out on a dangerous journey across a landscape filled with trolls, fairies and magic, they are joined by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge and a brilliant knight, Axel and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share.
During his recent BFI talk, del Toro explained in detail why this specific story needed to be told through stop-motion animation rather than live-action. “If you make a live action movie about an old couple crossing a landscape full of trolls and fairies, and it has special effects and actors… suddenly a puppet walks by, it becomes the uncanny valley, which is a terrifying thing that doesn’t belong in the same world,” he explained. “I want all creatures to be of the same material.”
who has been inserted buried giant?
For years, the voice cast has been a complete secret. However, during his BFI career talk in May 2026, del Toro finally dropped our first huge casting scoop: Ron Pearlman Has officially joined the cast in an undisclosed role!
Del Toro is a director who likes to assemble a coterie of consistent, reliable collaborators, and Perlman is undoubtedly at the top of that list. The legendary actor recently voiced Podesta pinocchioBut the pair’s creative partnership extends back to del Toro’s 1993 debut film, chronos.
As production continues to ramp up, we fully expect more familiar voices from Guillermo del Toro’s universe (like Cate Blanchett or Doug Jones) to join the roster.
What is the release date of Netflix? buried giant?
Netflix has not announced an official release date buried giant.
Given del Toro’s recent confirmation that the animation process will “take years”, it’s highly unlikely we’ll be seeing the film on our screens any time soon. If we look at the historical timeline for animated projects of this scale, its release date 2028 or 2029 This seems like the most realistic, educated guess, but a lot would have to go right for that to happen.
We’ll continue to update this article with all the latest casting news, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and release updates as they emerge.
Are you looking forward to an exclusively adult stop-motion adventure from Guillermo del Toro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Keep it locked to What’s on Netflix here for more on Netflix’s upcoming slate of animated movies.
