Det Kgl Teater Pinnochio Main illustration | Benny Box

Client

The Royal Danish Theatre

Industry

Arts & Culture

Services

Animation
Illustration

Awards

Creative Circle 2025 Winner 
Craft / Illustration

One of the most retold stories in theatre. A character so familiar it arrives with its own set of expectations - and its own visual baggage. The challenge wasn't to illustrate Pinocchio. It was to make an image that felt like this production, and no other.

We worked in close collaboration with the Royal Danish Theatre across a series of sketches, refining until the illustration found its own character. Bold enough to own a poster. Considered enough to carry the production's intent. The final result ran across website, posters, digital Decaux placements and Instagram ads, with an animated looping version made for digital formats.

Reinterpreting a classic

The brief pointed toward a particular kind of balance. This Pinocchio was a more poetic retelling — aimed at older children, but not a children's illustration in the usual sense. The image needed enough darkness to signal that, without closing the door on the warmth that makes the story worth telling.

Intrigue was the operative word. Pinocchio himself stays recognisable from a distance — that familiarity was an anchor, something to hold onto. Around him, the surrounding cast of characters and a careful handling of light build the world outward. Not explained, just present. The kind of image that rewards a second look.