Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Movie Honest Review

Movie Review 

When the eponymous wooden puppet comes to life in this remake, he makes his entrance a little different. Geppetto first sees a hand emerging from behind the box. This is followed by another hand and two legs, then drags the rest of the body up. Pinocchio's limbs continue to twist at the joints and his head rotates a full 360 degrees, wishing Geppetto good morning.

  It would not be entirely wrong to compare it with the dream of the Ring emerging from the four-legged TV. Even with Pinocchio's cheerful voice and personality, it's disturbing. Guillermo del Toro's fitting portrayal of Pinocchio. 

 By taking the original tale and setting it during the reign of Mussolini, the creators allowed the story to explore the harsher realities of the world. Years later, when Pinocchio arrives, the town of Podesta plays an important role. This time, the puppet master is a fallen aristocrat, while the island of pleasure is replaced by a stint at a training camp for young soldiers.

Relationship Difficulties 

  Infusing the well-known tale with plenty of originality, this version of Pinocchio tackles the difficulties of relationships and being outcasts in a prejudiced society. Where most adaptations make Pinocchio a role model for children's behavior, this one uses him to disrupt the society of adults around him. In del Toro and Mark Gustafson's Pinocchio, defiance can be a virtue.

  It's not all doom and gloom, though. Pinocchio's mischievousness and innocence lead to antics that make you laugh and poignant moments that make you smile wistfully. These sweet, heartfelt scenes offer the perfect balance to the dark themes of the story. Moreover, Pinocchio's path doesn't just lead him to become a real boy, it leads him to find himself—his true soul.

Thrilling Story 

  This thrilling story meets its ideal setting in intricately detailed stop-motion animation. Each character feels unnervingly real, and Pinocchio himself is a magical tree figure. The giant dogfish is quite scary, but all the scenes in and around the ocean are simply fascinating.

  The star-studded cast does a fine job with punchy and meaningful dialogues. If there's one drawback, it's the songs. They go well with the rest of the film, but aren't particularly memorable. Overall, the film is a perfect blend of horror and warmth.

  The recent spate of remakes and reboots is usually associated with nostalgia, but the creators of Pinocchio show us how much potential there really is in such films. Despite two other Pinocchio remakes in 2022, Del Toro and Gustafson's version remains the most memorable of the year.

  And that's because the film takes a nuanced stance when it comes to finding identity, flawed fathers, grief, loss, war, control, death, and the importance of loved ones. Short? This is about us and our time.