“Frankenstein” director Guillermo del Toro and Netflix chief Ted Sarandos have announced plans for a pioneering stop-motion studio to be built at France’s prestigious Gobelin School, whose famous alumni include “Despicable Me” director Pierre Buffin.
On Friday, the pair told a select group of journalists at the Gobelins School in Paris that the project will give the next generation of animation artists the opportunity to learn, collaborate, innovate and push the boundaries of stop-motion techniques.
More than just a training center, this stop-motion studio was co-founded by del Toro and Netflix and is envisioned as a living laboratory of experimentation and research.
The project is also a tribute to the work of the late Mark Gustafson, creator of the stop-motion film “Pinocchio,” who inspired del Toro.
Netflix also boasts partnerships with creative forces in the French animation industry, working on banners such as Fortiche (“Arcane”), TAT (“Astérix: Le Combat des Chefs”) and Blue Spirit (“Blue Eye Samurai”), among others.
Reflecting on how Netflix got involved in the effort, Del Toro said Sarandos contacted him and asked what was on his bucket list. “I told him, ‘You’re a millionaire. If you follow me, I’ll make you a millionaire.’ I believe it’s essential to look at what needs to be preserved, even if we don’t know exactly why, except that it’s very important to some people, even in the short term. That was important when he supported ‘Pinocchio,’ which he’s been chasing for almost 20 years.”
Del Toro said he and Netflix are embarking on a second stop-motion adventure based on Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “The Buried Giant.” “The timing of this school is perfect because we can incorporate people who come in and out of this school into that project, either as apprentices or as people learning the craft of making sets and puppets,” he said.
Sarandos said he was forced to use stop-motion animation due to the fact that everything was handmade.
“What I really love about stop motion in education, and what I learned from this guy (del Toro), is that stop motion is filmmaking. It’s costume design, set design, lighting, camera, everything. All the areas that go into making a movie are done in stop motion animation. That human touch is something that people see through,” Sarandos said.
Ultimately, del Toro hopes the stop-motion studio will build future bridges between European and Latin American creators.
“Stop motion is always in dire need of support, especially in Mexico. It doesn’t receive much support from the local government. I think what’s important is that Europe and Latin America come together. It opens a path of hope,” he said.
During his presentation, del Toro also spoke candidly about the current debate surrounding the threat of AI, saying it is important to “distinguish between AI as a tool and AI as a creative proposition.”
“If you look at particle systems that have been used in animation for over 15 years, they have elements that would be considered AI. Generative AI is a different story,” del Toro said.
“A few months ago, someone wrote me a letter in a high-level position. They said, ‘What’s your stance on AI?’ And I responded to that email with, ‘I’d be better off dead.’
“I think animation is very fragile because industrial-level animation is cost- and time-critical. And what I know, having been involved in animation since I was a teenager, is that sometimes that’s what’s desirable: time.” “I love doing ‘Kio’ because you have more than two years to change your mind. It’s like watching an accident in slow motion. You have time to get out of the car,” del Toro joked, claiming that “stop motion is the equivalent of animation.” “Slow Food in the Culinary Industry” and pointed out that “the idea that faster is better is something that is always sold by big industry interests.”
He said stop-motion is unique because “in an era where AI can invade other forms of animation, stop-motion is AI-proof.”
Meanwhile, Sarandos told Variety after his presentation that he believes “AI is not a creative tool per se, but a creator’s tool.”
“I think the idea that AI will surpass things and human imagination is pretty unlikely. It’s in stark contrast to what AI was created to do,” Sarandos said.
Sarandos continued, “AI is meant to take everything that has been done before and provide the most predictable outcome. This is the opposite of what writers are trying to do when they write a screenplay, or what filmmakers are trying to do when they tell a story. So I’m not too nervous about AI replacing creativity.”
Del Toro and Sarandos, along with Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, attended the world premiere of Frankeinstein at the Venice Film Festival. The highly anticipated $120 million blockbuster earned a long standing ovation and is being talked about as a major awards contender for Netflix.
