The cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is largely made up of small, intricately posed puppets — that’s how stop-motion animation works. But behind those shifting faces is an all-star voice cast that helps tell del Toro’s weird and wild vision of the classic tale. From veterans of the stage and screen to a few talented newcomers, the cast of Pinocchio brings these puppets — and the film — to life. Join us on a brief tour of the major players.

Left: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Gregory Mann 

The title role of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet magically brought to life, is played by young actor Mann. It’s his first major role; previously, he appeared on PBS’ Victoria series and as young Eli in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Much like Pinocchio, he’s got the whole world ahead of him.

Left: Araya Doheny/Getty Images

Ewan McGregor 

Pinocchio’s guardian angel, Sebastian J. Cricket, is caught up in the young puppet’s adventure when he accidentally makes his home in the same tree that Geppetto carves into the wooden boy. The intrepid insect is voiced by McGregor, fresh off of an Emmy win for his performance in Halston. McGregor has also appeared in films as varied as the Star Wars prequels, Beginners and Big Fish, where he played the fresh-faced young version of Albert Finney’s inveterate tall-tale teller. 

Left: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

David Bradley 

Veteran character actor Bradley takes on the role of Geppetto, the woodcarver who creates Pinocchio and then gets a bit more than he bargained for. Bradley is perhaps best known for his performance as gruff Hogwarts caretaker Filch in the Harry Potter movies, but he’s also appeared in The World’s End, memorably played the First Doctor on Doctor Who and, of course, orchestrated the bloody Red Wedding as Walder Frey in Game of Thrones. This isn’t Bradley’s first collaboration with del Toro: He previously appeared in GDT-created series The Strain and Tales of Arcadia. 

You can follow Bradley on Twitter.

Left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Tilda Swinton 

The chameleonic performer plays dual roles in Pinocchio — the heavenly blue wood sprite who brings Pinocchio to life and the mysterious guardian of the afterlife who meets Pinocchio later in his journey. In both, she brings the same ethereal energy that made her a fixture in films like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Michael Clayton (for which she won an Academy Award). It’s not Swinton’s first time playing a presence both angelic and demonic; see her turn as the demented archangel Gabriel in 2005’s Constantine.

Left: Unique Nicole/Getty Images

Christoph Waltz 

Two-time Oscar winner Waltz plays Count Volpe, who you might remember from other Pinocchio interpretations as a fox. (Volpe is “fox” in Italian.) Volpe lures Pinocchio away from his life with Geppetto and sets the rest of the film into motion. Waltz brings him to life with the sinister flair that he’s brought to bear in films like Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, Spectre and Downsizing. He’s also very good in Alita: Battle Angel, just for the record.

You can follow Waltz on Instagram.

Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

Cate Blanchett 

You might not immediately recognize Blanchett’s iconic voice in Pinocchio, because she has a rather unconventional role. Blanchett, who appeared in del Toro’s last film, Nightmare Alley, kindly lent her vocal cords to Count Volpe’s monkey sidekick, Spazzatura. She spends the film grunting and whining, and we can’t imagine anyone else playing the role. Blanchett is also a two-time Oscar winner (for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine), as well as the original Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She’s currently burning up screens (and attracting Oscar buzz yet again) as embattled conductor Lydia Tár in Todd Field’s Tár.

Left: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Ron Perlman

Longtime del Toro muse Perlman plays local fascist Podesta, who sees Pinocchio as a potential foot soldier who will never tire or die in his pursuit of the cause. Perlman previously appeared in del Toro’s films Cronos, Blade II, Pacific Rim and Nightmare Alley. Of course, the pair’s most memorable collaboration may be their Hellboy films; Perlman brought the comic book character to life in instantly iconic fashion. Perlman has also appeared in shows like Sons of Anarchy and in films ranging from The Name of the Rose to last year’s Don’t Look Up. 

You can follow Perlman on Twitter and Instagram. 

Left: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Finn Wolfhard 

Pinocchio’s partner in crime is reinvented here as Podesta’s reluctant son, voiced by Stranger Things star Wolfhard. He’s also appeared in films like It, The Goldfinch and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. And he’s a member of rock band The Aubreys. Is there anything he can’t do?

You can follow Wolfhard on Twitter and Instagram. 

Watch the Cast of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Record LinesThat puppet has pipes!