OVERVIEW

Lies in the Stars is a conceptual movie poster designed as part of a college brief that challenged us to mash up a classic Disney film with a different genre. My draw: Pinocchio meets Sci-Fi.
Rather than follow a playful or space-fantasy approach, I chose to reimagine the tale of the wooden puppet in a much darker, psychological setting—transforming the story into a haunting narrative of artificial life, digital surveillance, and the loss of free will.

This fictional poster imagines Pinocchio as a synthetic being trapped in a dystopian future where every choice is programmed, and every desire is manipulated. It’s less “wish upon a star” and more “controlled by the system.”

Concept Origin

The original tale of Pinocchio is about a puppet who longs to become real—a child searching for identity, morality, and purpose. I reframed that desire in a world dominated by machines, data control, and digital consciousness.
What if “becoming real” wasn’t about humanity at all—but about autonomy in a system that refuses to let you choose?

That question became the driving force behind the design.

Design Insight

This project was about narrative through metaphor. Instead of making Pinocchio’s story literal, I asked: what if the “puppet” was a metaphor for algorithmic control?

The design doesn’t explain everything—it whispers ideas, leaves gaps, and trusts the viewer to draw meaning from texture, tone, and symbolism.

It balances old fairy tale themes—truth, morality, self-awareness—with modern anxieties around technology, autonomy, and the idea of “becoming real” in a digital world.
Through this piece, I aimed to show how visual design can stretch genre and story by focusing on atmosphere, concept, and emotional weight.