Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio nominated for Oscar after original puppets made in Altrincham

Original puppets made by a North West-based animation studio feature in a now Academy Award-nominated movie.

Guillermo del Toro's hit movie Pinocchio has been nominated for an Oscar for 'best animated feature film'.

The puppets including Pinocchio, Geppetto and many others were all painstakingly made by the team at Mackinnon and Saunders in Altrincham.

Work began on the film back in 2008, when Mackinnon and Saunders made some early prototypes, but the stop-motion technology wasn't ready until a few years ago.

The puppet had to have the aesthetics of a traditionally hand-sculpted model and the organic quality of being carved from wood, but also a state-of-the-art jointed steel skeleton to achieve the range of expression that the directors and script demanded.

Co-director Peter Saunders says there is a whole host of North West talent working behind the scenes on movies like Pinocchio and Tim Burton's Fantastic Mr Fox.

He said: "It's not just me and Ian making the puppets, we employ a lot of hardworking people in the North West and we're very proud of the creative and artistic vision we have working with us."

The original Pinocchio puppets, along with the 'maquettes' - the early prototypes - are currently on display at an exhibition of Mackinnon and Saunders' work in Sale, Greater Manchester.

Peter Saunders said: "When you see the puppets brought to life on screen, it is quite a revelation.

"We make them out of things like bits of rubber, steel, silicon, and to see them on screen is a magical experience.

"We never tire of that."

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