Fun Fact
A Composer's Whistle: For Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale The Shape of Water, composer Alexandre Desplat personally whistled Elisa's theme to connect the two silent outcasts.
Chapter 1
History meets dark fantasy
Chapter 2
Designing the perfect monster
Chapter 3
Love and the outcast
Chapter 4
Reimagining the classics
YOUR GOAL
Master of Guillermo del Toro's fairy tales
Ch 3 · Love and the outcast
choko Without spoken words, the film's protagonists communicate through sign language, music, and shared understanding.
choko Setting the film in 1962 Baltimore allows del Toro to critique historical prejudice and social exclusion.
BETA
choko Match misunderstood monsters with their companions to discover how love embraces the outcast.
Fun Fact
Designing love: The design team spent three years perfecting the Amphibian Man's face because del Toro insisted the creature look handsome and kissable.
Glossary
outcast (noun)
A person who has been rejected by society or a social group. In 1962 Baltimore, a mute cleaning woman and a captured amphibious creature find connection as fellow outcasts.
A person who has been rejected by society or a social group. In 1962 Baltimore, a mute cleaning woman and a captured amphibious creature find connection as fellow outcasts.
Quiz
Which classic movie monster served as the primary inspiration for the Amphibian Man's design?
Quiz
Who plays the cruel military operative Richard Strickland, the film's primary antagonist?