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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio offers a dark take on a children’s classic, and it has provided fans with the chance to get to know more about the film’s stars.

Recently, star Finn Wolfhard opened up about his all time favorite anime, and it has some interesting connections to other pieces of pop culture! 

Finn Wolfhard has played in many dark roles

Finn Wolfhard poses for photos at the premiere of 'Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio'
Finn Wolfhard attends the premiere of ‘Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio’ in New York I Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix

Finn Wolfhard rose to superstardom status through his role in Stranger Things. He plays Mike Wheeler in the runaway hit series from Netflix, and the rave reviews of the show as a whole and his performance in particular have opened doors. In the years since the 2016 Stranger Things premiere, Wolfhard has had parts in IT (2017), The Goldfinch (2019), and The Turning (2020).

His experience with the macabre, dark, and suspenseful made him an excellent candidate for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. The stop motion musical features an impressive cast of actors to voice the characters including Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, and Cate Blanchett.

Wolfhard provides a voice for Candlewick, a human boy who the recently transformed Pinocchio meets at a training camp and befriends. Candlewick’s story is a sad one that involves a fearful relationship with his overbearing father, Podesta. Wolfhard’s voice acting required a range of emotions to fully bring the character to life for viewers, and his past experience with the darker side of art certainly provided depth to the performance. 

Finn Wolfhard is an anime fan 

Wolfhard’s fans know that he’s into anime, and he takes to Instagram to share some of his favorites from time to time. Recently, Wolfhard appeared on a WIRED video alongside del Toro, and fans got to hear even more about his favorite works in the genre. 

“I do like anime. My brother is a voice actor, and he’s always loved anime. I’m not as big of a nut as he is, but I really love and respect anime,” Wolfhard said during the interview, after which del Toro asked the actor if he would reveal his favorite.

Wolfhard didn’t hesitate one bit, responding, “Death Note. I think Death Note‘s brilliant.” 

What is ‘Death Note’? 

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Death Note is a Japanese manga series that centers on a brilliant teen who discovers a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written into it. The original series began publication in 2003. In 2006, it was adapted into a television series that ran for 37 episodes. 

That eventually gave way to a 2017 Netflix film that received a lukewarm reception from viewers. Receiving just a 37% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (and an even lower audience score), the adaptation fell flat. 

Interestingly enough, there’s a Stranger Things connection to the possible future of Death Note. The Duffer Brothers (the creative minds behind Stranger Things) have decided to tackle the difficult task of bringing yet another adaptation of the manga forward. AV Club notes that this newest attempt has tapped Halia Abdel-Meguid as the writer and that the Duffer brothers’ studio will produce the work. 

The film is just one of several anime-related projects in the works at Netflix, and it will be completely disconnected from the earlier flop, so it’s possible that fans will be more receptive to this version. Still, as AV Club’s Matt Schimkowitz writes, “it’s a no-win project that fans will probably hate on principle, mainly because they resent western attempts at remaking Japanese properties.” It’s safe to say that the Duffer brothers are climbing uphill on this one! 

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