10 things that the viewer knows in the 1^st 10 mins. 

• That a civil war has ended  

• There is a fascist regime living hidden in the mountains (military camps) 

• There is a fantasy element that includes a princess who died 

• Ofelia and her mother are introduced 

• Ofelia’s character is established: she loves reading fantasy books and spends all her time doing it 

• We learn that Ofelia’s biological father- who was a tailor- died in the civil war  

• Her mother is seemingly sick. We can infer she is pregnant because of “Your brother is acting up” 

• Ofelia has no fear wandering off on her own 

• She and her mother arrive at a military base, where we learn the father of the child is the captain. He treats Ofelia poorly. 

• Ofelia learns about the existence of a strange labyrinth at the military base, and she also meets Mercedes, who is the captain’s assistant/maid 

• Mercedes has a maternal vibe towards Ofelia

Cinematic breakdown of the 1^st 3 mins. 

• The camera pushes in to Ofelia laying on the floor, as it tilts slowly 

• It creates a canted, close-up angle on her face 

• It zooms into her eyes  

• It then cuts 

• There is an establishing shot of the fantasy world  

• The camera is always moving, always fluid as it shows the palace/castle thing. It tracks it with a long-shot.  

• It pushes in into the doorframe 

• It tilts upwards towards the sun, in a low-angled shot 

• Then, it fades to white 

• There is a wipe, as we then watch the cars drive by  

• It cuts to a close-up shot of Ofelia reading her book 

• Then, a medium-close up shot as we see Ofelia and her mother sitting in the back of the car 

• The camera tracks the mother as she leaves the car as she feels sick  

Micro-elements:  

• Sound 

The Sound Design of the effects that accompany the violence is very realistic. This is most likely enhanced in post-production by Foley artists. As parts of this film fit a horror genre this adds to the horror and emotional impact of those violent actions on the viewer. There is also a music motif in the Lullaby that is sung to Ofelia. It can be diegetic when sung by an on-screen characters (the Mother or Mercedes) but it becomes the theme tune for the film taking on a number of different musical forms (orchestral) adding to the suspense in places or the emotional state of Ofelia (rather like the ‘Time Goes By’ tune is manipulated in ‘Casablanca’.) 

• Cinematography 

The film’s cinematography draws from a lot of different influences. The cinematographer, Guillermo Navarro, used inspirations such as Gothic literature, Spanish folklore and harsh realism of 1944 fascist Spain.

• Mise-en-scene 

Costuming

The costuming in Pan’s Labyrinth is representative of the time era in which the film was set, which is Spain in 1944. It’s especially important that it is set at a military base camp; the men wear neat uniforms with badges and hats, while the women wear maid dresses and other feminine clothing.  

Also, costume can tell a story of its own. In the sequence where Ofelia is given a green dress by her mother to wear for a fancy dinner party, it is expressed that Ofelia is to impress her father. The green dress and bow represent the type of girl Ofelia’s mother wants her to be, and the role she must play as the captain’s daughter, however there is a symbolic moment when the dress becomes all torn, muddy and wet after Ofelia ignores her mother’s requests and she crawls inside a tree.  

• Editing 

Throughout the film, a lot of wipes and dissolves are used. These create a link between the real and fantasy world.

Representation (Gender) 

How are men and women represented differently and how does this position the viewer? 

One of the larger themes in this film is that of patriarchy. The men all hold a higher position as soldiers at the military base camp, but Vidal in particular (the captain) represents patriarchal beliefs. This is seen consistently throughout the film with his remarks that his unborn child will be a boy, and that this child will in the future surpass him, as Vidal did for his own father. Additionally, he places a greater concern in his son’s wellbeing over his wife’s, even saying that during birth if there is a choice to “save my child instead of my wife”.  

Additionally, there is a binary opposition when comparing how gender was represented. In comparison to the strong men as soldiers, women are seen instead as the maids and cooks of the military stronghold. The main women of the film, Ofelia, Mercedes and Carmen all suffer at the hands of patriarchy.

Aesthetics 

What is the ‘look of the film’? How has this been achieved? 

This is a film that utilizes creatures that are created with CGI and expert costuming. It is a real actor that plays the faun, and yet he had to sit still through hours and hours of makeup work.  

It was made with an old school (puppetry work) style and also modern effects (computer generated). 

History and Social Contexts 

The film is set within an era of the Spanish civil war. The two sides are the fascists and the nationalists. Captain Vidal is a representation of the fascist side of the regime, whereas Mercedes and her group of rebels represent the nationalists. 

The film is very historically accurate with the way society is presented (the meal scene), the mise en scene and the costuming. 

Instituitional Context 

Though Del Toro is Mexican, this is a Spanish film (filmed in Spain in Spanish using a predominantly Spanish crew and cast) and so is classed as a European production. 

Money- Del Toro put up most of the money himself. It was a “passion project” for him. His budget was 19 million euros, and the box office made 83 million, which is approximately 4 times more.  

It won three Oscars, winning the category for best cinematography, best makeup and best production design.   

Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro, 2006)

Critical Score-   8.5/10  I gave this film this score because I think it was extremely engaging the entire way through, and I loved the way it handled microelements; the costuming and mise-en-scene reflected the specific time era in Spain (1944), making it believable, the lighting was done very well when representing the binary opposition of reality vs fantasy and the dialogue (especially for Ofelia) was sharp and to the point.

Memorable Scene- The most memorable scene for me was the scene with Ofelia and the pale man because I was genuinely on the edge of my seat when watching it, the pacing and the shots used made it so terrifying for the viewer. It is also a very cool design in general.

Guillermo De Toro 2006 

First Response

Critical score: 8/10

I enjoyed the film, the fantasy created through the underworld and mythical creatures blurred the line between real-life and fantasy. I think this was done really well as the fantasy elements appeared in the real world of Spain in 1944, post-civil war era. I enjoyed how this was a period piece and the Spanish history portrayed through a powerful story of the need for disobedience.

Stand out scene: The stand out scene for me, is when Mercedes and Ofelia are caught trying to escape the mill by Captain Vidal and his men. I really enjoyed the sound effects here as they added a lot of suspense to mirror Ofelia’s apprehensiveness as she asks Mercedes if she also heard the noise, she says know then lowers her umbrella and is faced with a crowd of soldiers. This scene is also where Mercedes is found to be working with the rebels highlighting the theme of disobedience as she is meant to work for the Captain as a housekeeper. I think this is where the story turns as the battle starts to intensify.

The key characters: 

Ofelia – daughter of Carmen 

Carmen – heavily pregnant ‘new’ wife of Captain Vidal 

Captain Vidal – Soldier in Franco’s Army 

Mercedes – housekeeper 

Doctor 

Officers and Soldiers in Franc’s Army 

Communist / Left wing rebels (including Mercedes’s brother Pedro) 

Fantasy characters: 

Pan (a faun) 

Faries (x 3) 

The Toad under the tree 

The Pale Man 

The King and Queen of the Underworld 

 10 things that the viewer knows in the 1st 10 mins. 

-There are two different worlds, real and fantasy (underworld) 

-There is a missing princess of this fantasy world 

-The film is set in Spain after the Civil War (1944) 

-A mother and daughter are travelling to their “new life” where the mother will get married 

-Ofelia has a large interest in reading, Carmen does not fully approve of this as it leads Ofelia to believe in mythical creatures such as fairies  

-Captain Vidal is Carmens new husband and is very controlling of her difficult pregnancy and behaviours, does not value her only wants her as a birth giver to a son for him 

-Carmen doesn’t particularly like being given orders “I can walk perfectly well” but she is obedient anyway 

-There is a labyrinth at the Mill which Ofelia is not allowed in, reenforced her fantasy beliefs 

-The creature Ofelia sees and believes to be a fairy follows her to the Mill, as we see the fairy creature in the labyrinth highlighting the supernatural element. 

-Mercedes has an interest is the soldiers plans despite being a housekeeper, foreshadowing her involvement in the conflict between Captain Vidal and his men vs the rebels. 

 Cinematic breakdown of the 1st 3 mins. 

Camera work is very fluid and is almost constantly moving. The film opens by moving to the left as Ofelia is lying on the ground (we see her facing upwards as she is rotated) with blood dripping out of her nose, this is a canted angle. The camera then rotates so she is seen to be lying across the screen on the ground and time is going backwards as the blood is going back up her nose. Audiences are instantly told she will suffer as the narrative is non-linear as the final scene before the epilogue is seen in reverse at the beginning of the film. The camera pushes in as it rotates until it pushes right into her eye as there is a cut to black going into a long shot of the fantasy underworld. The camera ten pushes into a doorframe giving a sense of motion followed by a push up and a fade to white. The camerawork is very creative as it tracks behind a pillar into a wipe edit. There is then a dissolve back into reality of a long shot of post-civil war Spain which is a more traditional style of editing and camera movement. 

Micro-elements: 

Sound: 

The Sound Design of the effects that accompany the violence is very realistic. This is most likely enhanced in post-production by Foley artists. As parts of this film fit a horror genre this adds to the horror and emotional impact of those violent actions on the viewer. There is also a music motif in the Lullaby that is sung to Ofelia. It can be diegetic when sung by an on-screen characters (the Mother or Mercedes) but it becomes the theme tune for the film taking on a number of different musical forms (orchestral) adding to the suspense in places or the emotional state of Ofelia (rather like the ‘Time Goes By’ tune is manipulated in ‘Casablanca’.) 

Cinematography: 

The cinematography used is critical to establish key characters throughout the film. For example, the first scene introducing Captain Vidal we first see his watch, highlighting his strict punctuality and his distaste for others not being on his schedule as he then complains about Carmen and Ofelias late arrival. We later learn the watch belonged to his father, and by this watch being the first of the Captain being shown, it reflects how he values his masculinity and closeness to his father above everything else. 

Mise-en-scene: 

Through Del Toros influence the film has an idiosyncratic style through the mise-en-scene (the film received Oscars for both production design and make-up). The costumes worn add to the historical context of the film which was set in Spain in the post-civil war era (1944). Many of the men are wearing uniforms highlighting their roles as a soldier, showing that there is still a lot of civil unrest in Spain during the period, reflecting how Pan’s Labyrinth is a period piece. 

Editing: 

The style of editing throughout the film is overall quite conventional however there are still some less conventional editing techniques used such as cross-dissolves to black. This helps to separate the real-world from the fantastical underworld. An example of this is at the beginning of the film when the camera tracks into Ofelias eye as she lies on the floor of the labyrinth dying and we are transported to shots of the fantasy underworld. This helps to distinguish the fantasy element right at the start of the film. In addition, by tracking into Ofelias eye giving a close-up of her injury the film is also automatically shown to fit into the horror genre. 

CGI- Computer generated image 

Representation (Gender) 

How are men and women represented differently and how does this position the viewer? 

All the men in the film are shown to be purposeful, they are either soldiers, farmers or a doctor, whereas the women in the film are often in subservient roles like a wife (Carmen) or housekeepers (Mercedes). Gender roles are quite traditional in the film especially Captain Vidal as he is desperate for Carmen to birth a son for him instead of a daughter like Ofelia (who he is continuously dismissive of) and he refuses to believe it would not be a son that is born. There is a prominent binary opposite for gender roles in the film, Captain Vidal is determined for his son to be born close to him with the health of his wife Carmen to only be a secondary concern (seen when he asks if they must choose to save the baby over her). 

Aesthetics 

What is the ‘look of the film’? How has this been achieved? 

Consider colour palette / music, realism v fantasy, magic realism (find out what this means in literature), Lighting. 

Pan’s labyrinth has a gothic aesthetic; Del Toro uses separate colour palletes and set designs to distinguish the different themes within the film. An example of this is the first sequence of Carmen and Ofelia in bed where the theme switches between fantasy and reality as she tells a story to her little brother in Carmen’s womb causing the audience to switch between Ofelias fantasy story and the reality of her life at the mill creating magic realism. When she is in the real world the colour pallete is very dark with strong contrast and shadows created by the lighting. The set design of the room adds to the gothic aesthetic due to the architecture of their bedroom in the mill. There is a grand bedframe with hard stone and wood throughout the room making it appear frightening to Ofelia. As Ofelia begins to tell the story the real-world bridges into the fantasy world of her story and the colour pallete changes to reds and oranges and we are transported outside reflecting freedom from the mill and the life she feels trapped in. The scene also reflects a connection between dreams and nighttime in the mill again highlighting Ofelia’s love for made-up stories and foreshadows the fantasy occurring later in the film. Pan’s labyrinth is an amazing example of magic realism as it seamlessly blends fantasy into reality seen through the story of Ofelia. 

The creatures in the film are artistically made, Tel Toro mixes old school and modern ways to create unique creatures that do not feature in anyone else’s film, he was very specific about wanting them to be original They took inspiration from folklore and old mythology to create these characters. The mandrake was puppeteer work while the Fawn was all an artistically made costume with green screened legs. The fairies were originally still models stuck onto rods which moved them around the scene, the rods were then edited out and the fairies more intricate movements were edited in. 

History and Social Contexts 

Spanish Civil war ended in 1939; film was set in 1944. The way society is presented is historically accurate. An example of this is Captain Vidal’s banquet at the mill where upper society businessmen and priests were sat with him reflecting how throughout the war, the fascist side worked closely with the church. 

 Captain Vidal and his soldiers are seen as fascists who are selfish and careless about those who have less power. However, the rebels are seen as caring and a positive force who believe the society should be more equal, unlike the fascists who want a ruling society. 

Institutional context 

Despite Del Toro being Mexican, the film is considered a Spanish film as it was filmed in Spain and in Spanish using a predominately Spanish crew and cast. Making it classed as a European production.  

Del Toro used his and his friend’s money to create the film cutting out the studios so they would have no say in casting and design choices. Pan’s Labyrinth was a “Passion Project”. $19 million went into the film whereas it made $83 million in the box office take, making it a massive financial success. It also won 3 Oscars for best cinematography, best make-up and best art direction. Del Toro then won another Oscar for best director (not for Pan’s Labyrinth but Shape of Water). 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The world building between Ofelias reality and her distorted dream world were visually and narratively striking, resulting in a varied crossover of each other.  A scene that stuck out to me the most was the pale man waking up in the Dream world, this character and its time on screen is memorable because of his child-like design, mirroring something only a child’s nightmares could conjure  

In the first 10 minuets we find out that: 

Carmen is a soon- to-be mother 

She has a daughter who is the protagonist  

The daughter loves reading fairytales 

Ofelias (daughter) father died in the Spanish civil war  

Carmen, Ofelia’s mother is married to a Spanish general  

Carmen is seemingly sick from her pregnancy  

We find out that the general does not like Ofelia and treats her unkindly 

In the first scene we can see that a girl is injured, but her blood is flowing in reverse 

A dragon fly is seen following Ofelia from the woods all the way to the mill 

The army have taken up residence in a civilian’s house 

CINEMATOGRAPHY 

In the opening scene of this film, we can see the camera tilting while simultaneously pushing into our subject, who we later find out is Ofelia. The camera repeats its first actions and pushes into Ofelias eye, making an opportunity for a transition into a description of her “Dream world”, where the camera pans around with a wide shot to show off the lengths of Ofelias imagination. The smooth movements of the camera during this scene present a smooth transition into the dream world while Ofelia is unknowingly dying similar to falling asleep into a dream.  

MACRO ELEMENTS- 

EDITING 

The editing that accompanies the narrative of Pans Labyrinth meshes well with the aesthetic of the film. Del Toro uses several different styles for cuts in his scenes, most notably the fade cut/transition. The fade which has been used more than once in Pans Labyrinth strengthens the alternative reality idea that plays a very strong role throughout this film. The use of the fade transition gives the cuts a more whimsical, dream-like atmosphere further inviting the audience into the narrative ideas.  

MISE-EN-SCENE 

The mise-en-scene in Pans Labyrinth utilises its underlying ideas of villainism throughout its narrative. During the dinner scene (40:00) the General and his men and wife are having a dinner on a long dining table, this scene is a clear reflection of the pale man sequence. The feast that the pale man has laid out in front of him as well as the generals subtlety establishes that they are the antagonists of this film without explicitly telling the viewer. The lavish food and drinks during the general’s dinner additionally portrays the fascist army of Spain at the time, their overarching presence of wealth and tyranny over the Spanish people is mirrored in Ofelias imagined world.  

AESTHETICS- 

The world of the labyrinth in the film relies heavily on fantasy ideals, but it still has elements of realism. When the Faries are introduced, they have human like qualities- their silhouettes and specifically when they die, we see their blood and guts, as well as their screams. Del Torro also utilises colour to differentiate between worlds- using industrial blues and greys to represent Vidal and his fascist army, while using golds and oranges to showcase the dreaminess of Ofelias dream world  

The creatures of this film are incredibly original- the director wanted to put an emphasis on not drawing inspiration from any other films to make his creatures. The monsters are partly generated in post-production through CGI and Green screens. Doug Jones played the pale man AND Pan.  

GENDER REPRESENTATION  

In Pans Labyrinth gender is an underlying theme that influences characters throughout the film. When Mercedes and Ofelia try to escape, they are caught by Vidal and his army- then locked up and tortured (Mercedes). When comparing this to the rebel army that commonly goes against Vidal (fully men) its portraits the men as more capable. The majority of men in this film being a part of either an army or resistance group in comparison to the solo females is a clear example of a binary opposite- showing the stereotypes of men holding more dominance over women commonly propped up by 1940s society. The pale man isn’t presented as any particular gender- being naked but presenting no female or male parts- as the pale man could be likened to the evils of the fascist army this decision could represent the right wing of Spain and how these ideals can be held by man or women- E.G “MAN-KIND”  

HISTORICAL CONTEXT.  

The Spanish civil war consisted of left leaning republicans who wanted a modern secular republic, while the opposite side who were right leaning nationalists who wanted to uphold traditional values and the power of the church. The right wing was led by Francisco Franco who was a fascist dictator, ruling over Spain until his death in 1975. Francos’s success of the war also represents the meaning of Ofelias death at the end of the film, showing that ultimately good did not prevail despite the death of Vidal.  

Fascist Spain was supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.  

Though Del Torro is Mexican- this is a Spanish film- (FILMED IN SPAIN- MAJORITY SPANISH CAST) Classed as a European production  

Budget: $19 million  

Pans labyrinth won 3 academy awards.  

1^st impressions 

8/10 

Big fan of the faun. Only complaint is that the whimsy was less prevalent in the last 3^rd, but I can deal with that because the story that takes place in the real world was also engaging and made me feel more attached to the characters. 

I feel this is a memorable scene because it has possibly the most iconic character from Pan’s Labyrinth in it. It also is able to encapsulate the fear and tension in the is scene by having the Pale Man blurred In the background due to the shallow depth of field reflecting how Ofilia has no knowledge of him being awake is very effective.  

• 10 things that the viewer knows in the 1^st 10 mins. 

1. They know Ofelia will die (she is lying on the ground and bleeding) 

2. It’s a fantasy movie (the opening is suggesting it through its language.) 

3. She is a princess (it is stated in the opening) 

4. Ofelia reads (she has book)

5. Carman is pregnant (she is pregnant)

6. They are moving out there because the mother married the soldier guy (tells Ofelia to call him father)

7. Mother is sick (car has to stop)  

8. Either Ofelia has a strong imagination, or magic is real in that world. (the funny statue and little creature)

9. Soldier guy is the father of baby that is making the mother sick (he touches her on her stomach)

10. Ofelia does not like the soldier guy, and soldier guy probably doesn’t like her (hand shake goes wrong gasp). 

(IN Spain, captain is NOT a loving husband, after Spanish civil war, Ofelias dad is DEAD, Mercedes is spy) 

• Cinematic breakdown of the 1^st 3 mins. 

Zoom in on Ofelia that changes to an exterior shot of her kingdom. 

The establishing shot shows the kingdom in darkness, it is quickly panning over most of the landscape before focusing on a doorway. 

In the doorway you can see a small girl running through a large door, it then transitions from the large staircase of the castle into the staircase in the portal at the middle of the labyrinth. 

The camera then pans up from the bottom of the stairwell and looks up into the light to a fade to white.  

Micro-elements:  

• Sound 

The Sound Design of the effects that accompany the violence is very realistic. This is most likely enhanced in post-production by Foley artists. As parts of this film fit a horror genre this adds to the horror and emotional impact of those violent actions on the viewer. There is also a music motif in the Lullaby that is sung to Ofelia. It can be diegetic when sung by an on-screen characters (the Mother or Mercedes) but it becomes the theme tune for the film taking on a number of different musical forms (orchestral) adding to the suspense in places or the emotional state of Ofelia (rather like the ‘Time Goes By’ tune is manipulated in ‘Casablanca’.) 

• Cinematography 

Cinematography was used the most effectively used when Ofelia was with the Pale Man. The use of the shallow depth of field was extremely effective in showing the audience how she was unaware of his presence, let alone his movement. This helps build suspense in the audience by showing them what’s going on behind Ofelia but keeping it still slightly a mystery because of the shallow depth of field. When Ofelia is runing away from him in the following scene, the camera follows her down the corridor, shaking slightly as she runs, which reinfoces the idea to the audience that this situation is stressful 

• Mise-en-scene 

The mise-en-scene is used very successfully in Pan’s Labyrinth to highlight the fantasy aspect in its genre. An example of this is the beginning of the film when they get out of the car because the mother is sick. Ofelia finds a statue of the Faun, the way that there is plants and foliage growing on it and extreme damage to one of its eyes shows that it has been there for many years. As well as this, the costuming of the fantastical creatures also helps immerse the audience. The best example of this is the Faun’s costume. They are made to look as if they are the statue that Ofelia came across, with the grey skin and the plants on his body. They also have very rigid body language. The set pieces used for these fantastical moments are also very well thought out. An example of one of these pieces is the tree that houses the Toad. The shape of the tree could be seen as mimicking the shape of the Faun’s horns, which are featured on the entrance to the Labyrinth. 

• Editing 

In the opening scene, a very beautiful effect is used, where a model has been built of the underworld, and the child playing Ofelia is seen running up the stairs. There is no clear place where it may cut from model to set. The way that the movie keeps the audience engaged in both sides of the story, real and fantastical, is very effective. Which works in the movies favor when during the last third, there is very little of the fantasy aspect of the movie so that the audience gets the same idea as Ofelia, that magic is not real in this world.  

Representation (Gender) 

How are men and women represented differently and how does this position the viewer? 

Ofelia – she is a princess. Very feminine. She is a small girl so is shown as naïve, as well as being perceived as such by Vidal.  

Carmen – not a great mother. Is very clearly important to Ofelia. Meant to be sympathized with, because of the fact she had to marry Vidal. 

Captain Vidal – clear binary opposition to the mother. He is very clearly pushing a very masculine ideology onto both his wife and their unborn child. He clearly wants someone to be his successor (which is why he is so adamant about having a son). 

Mercedes – much more motherly than Carmen, does most of her rebelling for her partner. She states that she knew she wouldn’t be suspected of rebelling because she was a woman and that Vidal doesn’t see women as people so took no mind to her. 

Doctor – maybe a little non gender confirmative? While yes, a doctor is a very male centric profession, The Doctor is seen as very caring about the people in his care and is very careful with particularly Ofelias mother.  

Officers and Soldiers in Franc’s Army – all men. Follow the orders. 

Communist / Left wing rebels – mostly all men.  

——————————————————————————————– 

Fantasy characters: 

Pan (a faun) – Very caring for Ofelia but does abandon her once things don’t go along with their plan. This could make them fit in both a motherly role, but also play into the same kind of aggression that Vidal shows.

Fairies (x 3) – they take on a female form once shown the picture of the female fairies in Ofelia’s book. They are like guides for Ofelia. 

The Pale Man – Pale they. They are more violent towards children which links to a masculine presentation of them.

The King and Queen of the Underworld – shown in a regal gold, links to the warm tones that Ofelia is shown in throughout the whole movie. As they are meant to be better parents to Ofelia, the golden warm light contrasts with Vidal’s cold light

Aesthetics 

What is the ‘look of the film’? How has this been achieved?

Consider colour palette / music, realism v fantasy, magic realism (find out what this means in literature), Lighting.

the colour pallet is very important tot he story of the film, again showing the movies clear binary opposites in Vidal and Ofelia. While Ofelia has a very warm, golden colour palette to complement her role as a princess, Vidal’s colour palette is cold to reflect his feelings and his occupation as an Officer.

History and Social Contexts 

Remnants of conflict. The rebels are shown as the caring ones while the fascists are shown as care. Not as realistic because in real life, the fascists won rather than the rebels. The movie is visually very historically accurate. The society is very historically accurate. The scene with the food is accurate because they are having lots of food but rationing out the food for everyone else. 

Watch video embedded into last slide on powerpoint (in RED) 

Combination of practical effects and CGI. It has like puppetry.  The mandrake was a puppet, making its movements and look more realistic, while the frog was CGI. (that was due to complications about the weight of the animatronic originally made for the scene.)

Spanish film, because made in Spain with Spanish film crew/cast. The film was a passion project. Del Toro put his own money into this so he was able to cut out the studio from this, so they can’t change the story to westernize it or change the story in any way, so he gets full creative freedom for this movie. The movie was a good investment because it cost 19m and made 83m in box office. It won 3 Oscars (in best cinematography, makeup and art direction.)