Guillermo del Toro is back at Netflix with something truly different — a stop-motion animated epic built purely for grown-ups. If you loved his Oscar-winning Pinocchio, buckle up, because The Buried Giant is shaping up to be something far darker and more complex.
What Is The Buried Giant?
The film is an adaptation of the acclaimed 2015 fantasy novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in a fictional post-Arthurian England, the story follows an elderly couple navigating a land gripped by a mysterious amnesia-inducing mist — encountering trolls, fairies, and buried secrets along the way. whats-on-netflix
Learn more about the source novel on Wikipedia.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Type | Stop-Motion Animated Feature |
| Director | Guillermo del Toro |
| Co-Writer | Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical) |
| Animation Studio | ShadowMachine |
| Cast (confirmed) | Ron Perlman (role undisclosed) |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Expected Release | 2028–2029 (estimated) |
Why Stop-Motion — And Why Adults Only?
Del Toro confirmed at the BFI Fellowship ceremony in May 2026 that the film is a “fascinatingly difficult stop-motion movie for adults,” produced without any concession to a family audience.
His reasoning is brilliant: “If you do a live action movie about an old couple crossing a landscape full of trolls and fairies… all of a sudden a puppet walks through, it becomes uncanny valley. I want all the creatures to be of the same material.” whats-on-netflix
ShadowMachine — the same studio behind del Toro’s Pinocchio — is returning to handle animation. If you’re into top Netflix originals, also check out our coverage of the best Netflix movies to watch right now on Technosports. whats-on-netflix
What About the Cast & Release Date?
Ron Perlman, del Toro’s longtime collaborator dating back to Cronos (1993), has officially joined the cast, though his role remains under wraps. More familiar del Toro voices are expected to follow. whats-on-netflix
As for when to expect it — del Toro himself warned the BFI audience: “It’s gonna take us years. And it’s incredibly difficult.” A 2028–29 release window is the most realistic estimate right now. whats-on-netflix
For more on upcoming big Netflix projects, don’t miss our Netflix 2026 preview on Technosports.
