Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Dir. Guillermo Del Toro | Animation, Drama, Family | PG

In 2022, we didn't get one- but three films telling the story of Pinocchio; logically, the first question on anyone's mind would be, "Do we need another Pinocchio movie?" When it comes to Guillermo del Toro's rendition, the answer is a clear YES!

Nobody is a stranger to the story of Pinocchio; yet, in his version, Guillermo del Toro recounts the beloved tale of the wooden kid from an unfamiliar perspective, turning it into a fantastical allegory to the Italian Mussolini era.

Plot

Geppetto, a woodcarver in an Italian town, loses his much-adored son, Carlo, in a bombing incident during World War I. Amid sadness, mourning, and rage, Geppetto carves a wooden boy, attempting to bring back his lost son. The morning after, Geppetto wakes up to find the marionette racing around the house while calling him "Papa." Pinocchio is not exactly manageable as a kid; he causes trouble and pulls pranks on people. Along the way, he picks up a bit of guidance from his friend Sebastian, a cricket whose primary purpose is to teach Pinocchio about life and what it takes to be a good person.

We follow old Geppetto, Pinocchio, and Sebastian on an adventure that teaches us much about life, death, sorrow, and family.

Compared to the Disney adaptation most of us are familiar with, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio pays more homage to the darker original stories of Pinnochio. Geppetto's late son, Carlo, being included in the narrative is one of this version's bonus points.

Digging deep into the characters and the voice acting

Animation features give the creator the space to convey their story uniquely. Despite this creative freedom, voice actors still bear the weight of projecting their feelings through speech into animated characters.

David Bradley plays Geppetto; alongside Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton in the cast.

Gregory Mann's portrayal of Pinocchio is what gives the character life. For such a young actor—and considering that this is only his third acting role—his voice acting is quite impressive. "Pinocchio" is an engaging character who alternates between being energetic, curious, troublemaking, compassionate, and kindhearted thanks to Mann's portrayal and del Toro's and Patrick McHale's script.

We may be familiar with the name Jiminy for the little cricket, as mentioned in the classic Disney film. But, in Del Toro's adaptation, we know him as "Sebastian J. Cricket".

Ewan McGregor, better known as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" to Star Wars fans, makes a hilarious Sebastian J. Cricket with his playful and witty tone.

I am probably overthinking it, but I think of the cricket as a tangible representation of Pinocchio's ethical and moral values, serving as a benchmark for growing into a better person.

At last, Geppetto, voiced by David Bradley. Known for his role as Mr. Filch, the grumpy and annoying keeper of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter franchise, I wouldn't have imagined Bradley performing old Geppetto.

Soundtrack / Music

The movie included many songs, so if you'd like to, you could categorize it as a musical. The songs may be delightful, but I don't believe they contributed much to the story. They weren't very distinctive or catchy and had a bit of childish appeal.

Animation and character design

My admiration for the animation technique and character designs is beyond words. I LOVE stop-motion; it captures my attention instantly. This animation style makes you think about the numerous hours of effort put in by the crew to create a masterpiece.

Even though Pinocchio is a well-known story, witnessing it in stop-motion made it seem brand-new, at least to me.

Del Toro stated that stop-motion was the ideal medium for telling this famous story, explaining why his new adaptation had to be done in that format. He appears to have mainly chosen stop-motion because he thinks the "perfectly imperfect" nature of this kind of animation makes the movie seem more genuine than the contemporary smooth animation techniques.

Philosophical / Political Angle

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio isn't strictly a kid's movie. However, you can still watch it on a family night.

The movie tackles complicated subjects and dives deeply into philosophical issues. And even though "Pinocchio's" central themes of truth and loyalty were always around, they were thoroughly examined, especially in the framework of obedience. The father-son relationship, with all its complexity, is explored in the movie most significantly. Especially when Pinocchio and Geppetto are flawed, their growing affection feels genuine.

Surprisingly enough, Pinocchio is a political movie. Instead of an 18th-century setting; our story is set in fascist Italy somewhere between WWI & WWII.

Between 1919 and 1945, fascism was the belief and movement that ruled much of Europe. It had supporters around the world. Its key characteristics were mainly: authority, national pride, military, and oppression of opposition. Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany are examples of European fascist leaders.

There are multiple obvious visual references to fascist Italy in the movie. These references play a significant role in the development of the plot. Luckily, being uninterested in philosophy, history, and what was happening in Italy during the war won't ruin your viewing experience. If you wanted to ignore all the political and philosophical references, the movie would still hold up perfectly.

Why I ADORE this retelling

Del Toro tells us that the blessing of life is the ability to choose the values one wants to live by, as well as, committing to something or someone is what makes us human.

He also reminds us that life without restrictions or rules is no life, at all. Establishing one's values and virtues is the thing that constructs a tight healthy bond with our surrounding environment.

Guillermo del Toro has elevated a simple story and created something to reflect on thoroughly and feel all its aspects sincerely.

Personal Rating: 8 out of 10

Hope you enjoyed my review! I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you'd like me to review any new releases, please mention them in the comments below!