Fan favorite Guillermo Del Toro returned to San Diego Comic-Con 2026 for the Cineverse: Return of a Masterpiece – The 20th Anniversary of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth panel in Hall H celebrating the upcoming 4K & 3D theatrical re-release.

Here’s a look at what we got to see during the Cineverse: Return of a Masterpiece – The 20th Anniversary of Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

The panel was moderated by founder and EIC of Collider, Steven Weintraub and featured Academy Award winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, plus actors Doug Jones (Pale Man, Faun), Ivana Baquero (Ofelia), and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro to discuss the impact and legacy of the film as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The panel also included a screening of exclusive footage.

Below are some of the highlights from the panel.

  • Guillermo del Toro described the production as the second most difficult film of his career, recalling that many crew members initially thought the combination of fantasy creatures and a Spanish Civil War story was “crazy.”
  • Del Toro explained that the upcoming 3D version that will be released in theaters was designed to reinforce the movie’s themes with two different depth treatments of how the world was presented. First, the real world remains visually flatter, shallower, colder, and emphasizing the straight narrow lines. However, in the fantasy world the 3D gains dramatic depth, warmth, highlighting the rounded forms.
    • Del Toro was adamant that personally supervise the process and insisted it be created without the use of AI. He explained that he and collaborators financed the conversion themselves to ensure artistic control and preserve the film’s visual integrity.
    • For the conversion, roughly 1,000 artists manually rotoscoped the movie instead of relying on automated tools.
  • Ever a strong advocate for artist-first approach, Del Toro once again strongly criticized replacing artists with AI. He cautions the technology by design eliminates opportunities for people to learn visual effects and post-production work creating a self-feeding vacuum of talent
  • Panelists said the screenplay alone was enough to convince them they were making something extraordinary.
    • Doug Jones called it “the most beautiful story” he had ever read, saying he finished the script in tears and immediately believed Del Toro would turn it into a masterpiece.
    • Ivana Baquero, was only 11 years old when cast as Ofelia, said she personally doesn’t remember her first reaction to the script, but her father immediately recognized its potential and urged her to choose the project over another opportunity because he believed it would become “magic.”
    • Guillermo Navarro, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer of the film, emphasized that the movie’s political themes remain relevant nearly two decades later. He noted that audiences are still confronting authoritarianism and dictatorship

  • Doug Jones discussed the challenge of playing both the Faun and the Pale Man in Spanish despite not speaking the language. Del Toro encouraged him to learn the dialogue phonetically, after which a Spanish actor later dubbed the performance while preserving Jones’s timing, rhythm, and emotional delivery.

    • Jones shared extensive preparation for portraying the Faun after Del Toro had instructed him to study the hind legs and movements of livestock such as goats and cows.
    • Del Toro created a detailed backstory in which the Faun ages backward, becoming younger, stronger, and more graceful as Ofelia‘s belief restores the underworld. This progression was reflected through gradually changing makeup, posture, movement, and coloration throughout the film.
  • Ivana Baquero described Del Toro’s directing style as unusually collaborative. Despite her young age, he treated her as an equal creative partner, gave her extensive background material—including references such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Grave of the Fireflies—and encouraged her to fully understand Ofelia’s emotional world instead of simply following directions.
  • Guillermo Navarro reflected on becoming the first Mexican cinematographer to win the Academy Award, recalling that early in his U.S. career he was told, “Why would we hire a Mexican? We already have a gardener.”
  • Del Toro has often said that art can save lives, inspire future artists, and give hope during difficult moments and he hopes to continue this with all of his projects.

Photos

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