Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Torowikipedia.com 

Everybody looks up to someone. Whether it be an artist, a writer, or an activist, they are someone that one can call a hero. A hero is someone who inspires us, who make us want to make a difference or take action.To be a hero one must possess certain traits. A hero must be open to new ideas and willing to accept changes that come their way. They must also be hard working, and show a passion for what they do. Finally, a hero must be able to leave a mark and inspire someone to do something good or make a change. Guillermo del Toro is considered a hero to many. Growing up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, he had an intense passion for monsters, which started at a young age. His uncle was one of the people who really inspired him to work with the idea of monsters, introducing him to horror movies. He started making home movies when he was younger, letter moving on to film school in Mexico. After graduating, he started working on sets in makeup and costume, but he wanted to do more. He soon decided to start producing his own films. While still living in Mexico his father was kidnapped and later released. Del Toro believed it would be better to move to the safer city of Los Angeles, California, where he continued to work on even more films. Now, he is best known for award winning movies such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Cronos, and The Shape of Water. Guillermo del Toro is not only a hard worker whose perseverance has got him far, he also uses his experiences to inspire others to do so as well.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)imdb.comGuillermo del Toro’s willingness to work hard towards his dreams makes him a motivating person to those who have a goal that they want to achieve. Del Toro started experimenting with film when he was just a young boy. “The budding filmmaker got his start putting together home movies starring toys and other household objects before pursuing more formal education in special effects makeup with industry veteran Dick Smith.” (Newsmakers 2). From a young age, Del Toro knew he wanted to work on film. He studies film in high school and later got into Centro de Investigación y Estudios Cinematográficos (Center for Film Research and Studies) in Mexico to even further study it. This shows hard work because you can only achieve a dream if you work towards it, which Del Toro did his entire life. He was determined to have at least one opportunity to finally show his ideas to the world. After graduating from film school, del Toro went on to work in special effects makeup and eventually went on to produce films of his own, his debut film being Cronos. One of his other successful films however was The Devil’s Backbone. “It took sixteen years, and it was supposed to be my first movie before Cronos--I actually wrote it as my thesis for my class in screenwriting. Back then, it was bigger as a project, and it was set against the background of the Mexican Revolution, and I realized it would be impossible to mount as a production.” (Cineaste 11). For 16 years Del Toro was working on his first film. It was merely a thesis for one of his screenwriting classes, however it eventually grew to be much more. He wanted to make it right and the only way to do that is to work long and hard on it. When he was given the chance to make the film, he rewrote the film, wrote new drafts and eventually founded his own company. Through his company and another’s, he was able to get funding for the film. Now, he has directed many award winning films, most recently winning an Oscar for Best Director, and Best Film this year for The Shape of Water. Del Toro’s hard work is motivating for those who have a dream and are willing to work in order to achieve it.

Guillermo del Torofilmdaily.comHaving started working towards his goals at a young age, Guillermo del Toro encourages others to do so as well, making him an influential figure for many. His experience growing up influences how he addresses the new generations. In his Oscars speech, he specifically addressed teens and young adults. “I want to dedicate this to every young filmmaker, the youth that is showing us how things are done, really they are. In every country in the world. And, I was a kid enamored with movies, growing up in Mexico I thought this could never happen, it happened.” (del Toro 1:38-2:00). Del Toro wants to show young filmmakers to keep up with the great work they are doing. He admires how much of an impact this generation is making on the world. As a child del Toro was fascinated with movies. He didn't have much hope for himself and he didn't really think that he would make it, but he did. As someone who was able to achieve their dreams, del Toro displays himself as an influential figure for teens and young adults. He believes that you must go through trial and error in order to become successful. Along with wanting to inspire the youth, del Toro holds values that can help anybody with everyday fears and stressors. “The whole purpose in life is not to avoid pain but to learn from it. That's one of the main purposes of horror movies, to try to at least give us our dosage of fear in a safe way. It's a vaccine against the real horrors out there.” (Cineaste 32). Del Toro values learning from mistakes and moving past them. He believes that having some sort of our own “dosage” of fear helps us deal with the things that we do fear in the real world. Del Toro expresses this by making horror movies. By doing this he in a way helps others cope with their own real life fears. Guillermo del Toro is an influential figure for people both young and old, the way he views the youth and his solutions to everyday fears makes him an influential figure for all.

Guillermo del Toro, Oscars 2018youtube.com"Movies are made for the same reason man started telling stories, to elicit emotion. ... Whatever emotion you were given the talent to elicit, you have to do it. All I want to do is create strange images that have almost a secret power.”(Contemporary Authors Online. 10). Del Toro’s inspiring words not only make him an influential person that young people can look up to, but show that through hard work you can achieve your dreams. Guillermo Del Toro has showed traits of a hero his entire life. He's been a hard worker since the beginning, working his way through grade school in order to be able to study film. He then started writing a project for his thesis class, which 16 years later would become one of his famous films. Using his childhood experiences, del Toro wants to show others that they are capable of achieving their dreams. His words of wisdom are specifically geared towards young people, but can be used as advice for people of all ages. Guillermo del Toro inspires others in several ways. He teaches us to never doubt ourselves and to seize every opportunity that comes for us, he never once gave up on his goals and dreams, this got him to where he is today. No matter what he had to go through or how hard he had to work, Guillermo del Toro now presents us with amazing films that continue to impress the many people who watch them. As said in his 2018 Oscar Speech, “I want to tell you, everyone who is dreaming of a … of using younger fantasies to tell the things that are real in the world today. This is a door, kick it open and come in” (del Toro 2:00-2:13).

Works Consulted

Chun, Kimberly. "What is a ghost?: An Interview with Guillermo Del Toro." Cineaste, Spring 2002, p. 28+. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A85011294/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=7a568d34. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018

"Guillermo del Toro." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2018. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000197713/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=1ffecc04. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.

"Guillermo del Toro." Newsmakers, vol. 3, Gale, 2010. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618005114/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=34efa9b6. Accessed 22 Mar. 2018.

ABCNetwork. “The Shape of Water Wins Oscars 2018 Best Picture.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hnYE_URTpc.

Toro, Guillermo del. Guillermo Del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions. Harper Design, 2013