Guillermo del Toro says he feels an unexpected kinship with Wes Anderson, despite their sharply contrasting visual styles. Del Toro’s darker, gothic films and Anderson’s brighter, meticulously composed worlds both use highly mannered imagery to explore emotional truths, including heartbreak, loss and longing.

Both filmmakers also share an interest in stop-motion animation, with Mark Gustafson having worked on projects by each director. Del Toro has praised Anderson as an essential modern cinematic voice, arguing that beneath their different aesthetics, both transform pain and human vulnerability into fantastical, visually distinctive storytelling.