Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

• Guillermo del Toro is able to transfer us into worlds, both fantastical and grounded in stark realities. His take on Pinocchio is no exception.

• Seamless stop-motion and stunning visual effects work make this animated film immersive and captivating.

• Tremendous voice work from a terrific ensemble of performers.

NO

• Sometimes the transition from scenes which are light and uplifting to those more intense and with higher stakes can be a bit jarring.

• Even with a PG rating, I would be cautious to put this on for the youngest of viewers. Themes like fascism, death and loss, war - probably should watch the film with them to make sure questions can be answered and concepts can be understood.

• This can feel, at times, quite bleak and dark, sad and heavy. I mean it is a Guillermo del Toro film, but this is far different than the 1940 Disney classic many remember.

OUR REVIEW

A friend of mine and I have this theory that secretly Guillermo del Toro hates children. Of course, there is no evidence that this is true. A father of two, del Toro has made a vast array of imaginative, frightening, and compelling explorations into the recesses of the mind - investigating the desires, passion, and drive that comes with finding a way to matter in the world, no matter the cost and no matter the impacts.

Our exhibits for del Toro’s supposed disdain of children comes in the frequent number of children placed in peril in his movies. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has veered away from this trait with his 2017 Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water, and 2021’s Oscar-nominated Nightmare Alley. However, he is back running children through the wringer - children born of both flesh and wood - in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

Officially, the “umpteenth” version of Pinocchio to hit the screen, del Toro’s stop-motion, animated feature is at least the third “Pinocchio” to see a release this year following Robert Zemeckis’ Disney+ live-action remake and some obscure straight-to-video release with Pauly Shore voicing the main character. (Pauly Shore!?). This, however, is as distinctive a reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” as you will ever see. Brandishing a dark, grayed-out color palette, and set in Italy during World War II, del Toro’s visually stunning, stop-motion film doubles down on latent horror and suspense, the ease with which man can harm man, while also blending in humor and catchy musical numbers to create a unique take on the battle-tested Pinocchio fable.

Co-directing with stop-motion veteran Mark Gustafson, older single father Geppetto (David Bradley) is devoted to his young son Carlo (Gregory Mann) until he is tragically killed in an errant bombing by the Italian military during the first World War. Decades later, he continues to grieve his loss when a talking cricket, Stanley J. Cricket (Ewan MacGregor), moves into the tree Geppetto sits under every day to begin writing his memoirs. Cricket’s appearance sets an occasional lighter tone for the film, as MacGregor narrates the film and eventually serves as Pinocchio's conscience and voice of reason.

From the jump, del Toro’s film lives in a melancholy state. Geppetto is a defeated man, determined to create his wooden boy in a drunken haze and depressive release. The woodworker crafts a wooden puppet, devoid of strings, who lays in a heap until a wood sprite (Tilda Swinton) visits the creation, names it, and wills life into it by the next sunrise.

Mann voices Pinocchio with a zeal, enthusiasm, and naiveté that makes him instantly likable and also a pawn in the larger story adapted by del Toro and Patrick McHale (“Adventure Time”). Pinocchio gets swept up in the novelty of his existence by a sideshow carnival ringleader, Volpe (Christoph Waltz), who engages in a kidnapping/power struggle with Geppetto for possession and subsequent exploitation of the wooden boy in his circus freakshow.

Along the way, del Toro infuses imagery of fascism, as Italy aligns with the Axis Powers under Benito Mussolini (Tom Kenny) in the onset of World War II. This also brings Podestà (Ron Perlman) into the fold, a military officer who also sees a way to exploit Pinocchio with the young boys he is training to become youth soldiers, including his own son (Finn Wolfhard).

Alexandre Desplat’s moving score amplifies the dramatic elements of the bonds between a father and son, while also underscoring darker elements of manipulation, religious persecution, and the corruption inherent in power. These themes and ideas are a tough sell for younger viewers, who will likely be drawn in by the seamless, flawless animation del Toro and Gustafson’s team create on screen.

Visually, the film is among the finest stop-motion films I’ve seen, a gaffe or visual stumble almost impossible to detect. del Toro is a master at inviting us into the fantastical worlds he has created in the past for films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water. His take on Pinocchio is no exception. Through the bleak colors and darkened playgrounds this film operates in, there is a wonder to it all, heightened by the exceptional work of production and set designers Curt Enderle and Guy Davis.

Though the musical numbers, which feature lyrics co-written by del Toro, are often more of an uplifting and whimsical spin on the otherwise seriousness of the story, this Pinocchio may sometimes feel sad and steeped in tragedy. At times, scenes do feel discordant from one another; the transition from Pinocchio’s optimism and whimsy a stark contrast to scenes where Podestà berates his son or Volpe exploits his stable of carnival performers. 

While a questionable watch for young kids, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is an alluring and absorbing animated adventure. Like much of his work, del Toro has a big vision for the otherwise small, animated, often-told tale of the little wooden boy who cannot tell a lie. While light year’s different from the 1940 Disney film we all grew up with, del Toro’s distinctive branding of this story is one that is innovative, groundbreaking, emotionally engaging, and another success in the inimitable storyteller’s wildly inventive canon of filmmaking.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Christoph Waltz, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Tilda Swinton, Tom Kenny

Director: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale (screenplay); Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins (story)
Based on the book “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi
Release Date: November 9, 2022
Netflix