Pictures: Netflix / Getty Images
Guillermo del Toro has earned Netflix its first Oscar in the animation category. He has been involved in numerous projects currently available for viewing on the platform, with several more in the pipeline. Additionally, the acclaimed director and writer has endorsed a variety of other titles available on Netflix, which we will list below.
As mentioned, you can watch many Guillermo del Toro titles on Netflix right now. His relationship with the stream began in the mid-2010s when he began work on his ambitious DreamWorks Television series Tales of Arcadia, which spanned four shows and a movie. Since then, we’ve seen him release Pinocchio and the excellent limited series, Cabinet of Curiosities.
While we can’t guarantee we’ve caught all of GDT’s Netflix recommendations, we’ll be compiling the list below over time:
The Killer
Directed by David Fincher
Released on Netflix: November 10th, 2023
Picture: Netflix
Much like GDT, David Fincher has called Netflix his home for the past few years, with his 2023 Michael Fassbender movie being one of his most significant projects to date. Based on the French comics, the movie depicts an assassin who questions his role in the world.
What Guillermo del Toro said on X:
“The Killer is a beautiful Bronson movie if penned by Sartre and filmed by Melville with the briskness of a Siegel. I simply love, love, love when Fincher swings with a mean genre beat. Nimble and clockwork precise and fun. The breeziest film I have seen in a long time. It’s great when you can see a film and a movie at the same time.”
ONI: Thunder God’s Tale
Created by Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi
Episodes: 4
Released on Netflix: October 21st, 2022
Picture: Netflix
It’s no secret Guillermo has an absolute love for all things stop-motion, so it’s heart-warming that he gave his seal of approval to the criminally overlooked mini-series ONI: Thunder God’s Tale.
A Tweet in early November 2022 said:
“Astounding beauty and generous heart- Please watch this wonderful feat of artistry and storytelling…”
Entergalactic
Created by Scott Mescudi and Kenya Barris
Released on Netflix: September 30th, 2022
Picture: Netflix
Another animated pick for Guillermo del Toro is the ambitious TV special that saw Netflix teaming up with Kid Cudi for a unique musical companion piece fo the album of the same name from the artist.
In a Tweet on September 30th, GDT states the movie has “a beautiful vibe- a mellow, heartfelt hang in a world made magical by sound and image. I could swim in it all day long.”
Prayers for the Stolen
Directed by Tatiana Huezo
Released on Netflix: November 17th, 2021
Picture: Netflix
Another Mexican-produced drama was Prayers for the Stolen, which served as Mexico’s Oscar entry for the year.
Here’s what you can expect from the movie, which has a runtime of just under two hours:
“In a mountainous region of Mexico where poppies abound, three girls take refuge in their friendship to cope with the trials brought on by a drug cartel.”
We got two recommendations for the price of one here, with GDT also giving his thumbs up to the 2019 Los Lobos.
The White Tiger
Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Released on Netflix: January 2021
Picture: Netflix
Originating from India, this big movie adapted the Aravind Adiga novel of the same name, telling the story of a man who comes from a poor village.
In his review in February 2021, GDT said:
“Razorblade Dickensian fable by way of James M. Cain or a WB gangster epic (The Roaring Twenties, The Public Enemy). Brutal, precise, and involving. Profound and merciless. The carnivorous class struggle. A rage that builds slowly into a shocking finale.”
I’m No Longer Here
Directed by Fernando Frias de la Parra
Released on Netflix: May 28th, 2020
Picture: Netflix
From Mexico, this musical drama is about a 17-year-old forced to travel across the border to save his life after getting into a misunderstanding with a local gang.
Guillermo del Toro reviewed the movie in June 2020 in Spanish (translated into English):
“With the world where it is – this splendid film resonated with me, moved me, shook me, made me think and provoked deep admiration and respect in me. It’s on NETFLIX and it speaks with strength and power.””
Netflix even released a follow-up documentary to the movie in 2020 that featured Guillermo del Toro in conversation with Alfonso Cuarón.
Dolemite Is My Name
Directed by Craig Brewer
Released on Netflix: October 25th, 2019
Picture: Netflix
Eddie Murphy embodied Rudy Ray Moore in this comedy biopic of the late comedy pioneer.
In a Tweet on October 6th, Guillermo praises the two leads, saying:
“Murphy and Wesley Snipes are fantastic in this! And Scott and Larry do it again! Congratulations!”
The Irishman
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Released on Netflix: September 27th, 2019
Picture: Netflix
Guillermo praised Scorsese’s big Netflix movie released in late 2019, calling it “monumental” in one Tweet and recommending everyone at the time to watch it in a theater if they could.
He also wrote a 13-Tweet essay about what he loved about the movie and his general musings throughout. The entire thing is worth reading, but in his concluding remarks, he writes:
“This film needs time- however- it has to be processed like a real mourning. It will come up in stages… I believe most of its power will sink in, in time, and provoke a true realization. A masterpiece. The perfect corollary Goodfellas and Casino.”
When They See Us
Created by and directed by Ava DuVernay
Released on Netflix: May 31st, 2019
Picture: Netflix
When it comes to the best-limited series on Netflix, many would rank When They See Us in the top 10, and it appears that Guillermo agrees! In July 2019, GDT posted about the 16 Emmy nods the series picked up, calling the series “stunning.”
As a reminder, the series follows “Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they’re falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park.”
Roma
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Released on Netflix: December 14th, 2018
Picture: Netflix
For the following two titles, they both were listed among GDT’s favorites for 2018 but in the case of Roma, GDT wrote a short essay on Twitter about some of his musings about the movie.
For those unfamiliar, the black-and-white film portrayed domestic life and social hierarchy set against Mexico’s political turmoil of the 1970s.
Here’s Guillermo’s entire thread on the movie.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen
Released on Netflix: November 16th, 2018
Picture: Netflix
The Coen Brothers’ first foray onto Netflix presented an anthology of stories (or vignettes) that follows numerous outlaws and settlers across the American frontier.
GDT mentioned the movie in his Best of 2018 list plus reviewed the movie, saying:
“A prodigious Memento Mori. A collection of cautionary tales about the ultimate destination of life: Death.
The Ritual
Directed by David Bruckner
Screenplay by Joe Barton
Released on Netflix: February 9th, 2018
Picture: Netflix / EOne
Based on a novel by Adam Nevill, this is one of several horrors that have dropped onto Netflix that have been often overlooked in the years following its release.
Rafe Spall leads the movie’s cast, which is about a group of college friends reuniting for a trip to the forest but soon finds a mysterious creature stalking them.
What Guillermo said on X:
“Amazing and scary. With a beautiful creature designed by frequent collaborator Keith Thompson.”
The Meyerowitz Stories
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Released on Netflix: October 13th, 2017
Picture: Netflix
One of the many Adam Sandler movies to grace Netflix over the years includes the excellent Meyerowitz Stories, which sees him star alongside Ben Stiller and the great Dustin Hoffman.
Guillermo expresses his love for Adam Sandler constantly throughout his timeline, but this one got a particular thumbs up, saying:
“Adam Sandler is superb in this- just as he was in Punch Drunk Love… that masterpiece by PTA that many don’t like but many more do…”
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil
Directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo
Released on Netflix: October 12th, 2017
Picture: Filmax
One of the best things about Netflix is diving into the catalog’s vast array of international titles, and this, to date, is one of the only Alavese Basque language movies.
Per Netflix, here’s what you can expect from the movie:
“A brutal blacksmith tortures a demon he blames for his misery, unaware a trespassing orphan is about to change everything. Based on Basque folklore.”
Across multiple Tweets, GDT referred to the movie as a “Great Basque fairy tale / horror.” adding that it’s “full of ingenuity and great moments.”
In a follow-up, he says: “Very off-kilter and moves swiftly into unexpected tonal changes and emotions. Lovely watch…”
If you want even more GDT recommendations, somebody on Letterboxd has put together a comprehensive list that includes titles unavailable on Netflix.
Guillermo isn’t the only famed creator to share his Netflix picks online. As we’ve covered before, Stephen King often reviews many Netflix additions, and we’ve listed most of his picks in the above link. We’ve also recently looked at five sci-fi recommendations from Adi Shankar.
Have we missed any of Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix picks? Let us know in the comments below.
Netflix Synopsis: "Hit man Frank Sheeran looks back at the secrets he kept as a loyal member of the Bufalino crime family in this acclaimed film from Martin Scorsese."
