London, Feb 20 (IANS): The animated film Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio", clinched the honour for Best Animated Film at the BAFTA on Monday. The film won over fellow nominees of "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On", "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish" and "Turning Red".

The film, which uses stop-motion animation, is a musical dark fantasy directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale from a story by del Toro and Matthew Robbins.

The film is loosely based on the 1883 Italian novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, and strongly influenced by Gris Grimly's illustrations for a 2002 edition of the book, it reimagines the story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver Geppetto.

Earlier, on the red carpet of the coveted award ceremony, toy versions of both Pinocchio and its creator Guillermo del Toro made an appearance much to the delight of the audience.

The BAFTA awards are being held at the Royal Festival Hall in London and are being streamed live on Lionsgate Play.