What Is the Story About?
Netflix and Guillermo del Toro’s version of Carlo Collodi’s beloved children’s story ‘Pinocchio’ takes the crux of the original story and melds it into an inventive, darker version of the source material.
Poor woodworker Geppetto (David Bradley) is beset with grief when his only son Carlo (named after the author of the original Pinocchio) dies in a freak event. His prayers to get his son back are answered when a wood spirit brings to life a wooden puppet boy he carved. The spirit names the wooden boy ‘Pinocchio’.
Netflix’s ‘Pinocchio’ is written by Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale, and directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson.
Performances?
Pinocchio boasts an excellent and thoughtfully-selected voice cast. Young Gregory Mann is terrific as both Pinocchio and Carlo, infusing varying notes of joy, cheer, mischievousness, hope, melancholy, dejection and sorrow into his voice as needed. David Bradley, better known as Walder Frey from Game Of Thrones, is a revelation as woodworker Geppetto, portraying the varied facets of his character — wise, loving, miserable, grave — with deft.
Ewan McGregor is superb as the fiddling cricket, Sebastian J. Cricket. Tilda Swinton as both Death and her sister Wood Sprite, oozes solemnity and wisdom. Cate Blanchett is fantastic as the circus monkey, Sprezzatura, a voice role that required her to only screech, chatter, squeal and squeak throughout; and she pulls it off superbly. The rest of the voice cast is splendid as well.
Analysis
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix is one of the most inventive reworkings ever of a children’s classic. The maestro has given his version of Pinocchio such interesting twists and turns, as well as a distinctly dark treatment, that it ends up bearing only a passing resemblance to the original.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio packs in a lot in the comparatively small, 120-minute runtime – we say small, because of the sheer number of significant notions that the story packs in – grief, bereavement, the futility of war, fascism and the making of fascists (propelled by the blind faith of their followers), society’s cruelty towards those they perceive ‘different’, the subtle though harmful effect of careless labelling we all adopt (burden, coward), life, death and so much more.
And despite touching upon so many subjects, the writers manage to make each of it meaningful and affecting – deploying humour, emotions, playfulness, jest, and more, to put their point across. For instance, nothing makes more sense than when Pinocchio looks up at the wooden Jesus Christ in his village church, after being labelled an abomination and a demon, and asks his father, “He’s made of wood, too. Why does everyone like him, not me?”. Point made; and sharply at that.
This is just one example. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is chock-full of such sequences that touch the heart.
The most outstanding part of the film is the way this version of Pinocchio is infused with Guillermo del Toro’s singularly unique way of reimagining things. The shimmery Wood Sprite who gives life to Pinocchio, and the whimsical creature that is her sister Death – both are a sight to behold. Rabbits (all of them voiced by Tim Blake Nelson) that play poker act as managers of the realm of the afterlife. The huge grotesque sea creature, the reimagining of Benito Mussolini – all of it seems straight out of a wildly imaginative dream sequence. But of course, they’re figments of Guillermo del Toro’s fertile, visionary imagination.
The songs, by composer Alexandre Desplat, add exquisite meaning to the narrative. The lyrics and picturisation are terrific too. Funniest is the one that Pinocchio sings before the dictator Mussolini, incorporating poop and fart in imaginative ways.
To sum it up, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is one of the most creative versions of the story, out of the 25+ versions made until now, three in 2022 alone. It’s a movie that’ll appeal to viewers of all ages, and is a must-watch for sure.
Music and Other Departments?
Alexandre Desplat’s musical score is magnificent. It is one of the stand-out elements of the film. Frank Passingham’s cinematography is superb. Ken Schretzmann and Holly Klein’s editing is flawless. The animation is fantastic and fanciful.
Highlights?
Voice cast
Music
Visuals
Imaginative treatment
And lots more
Drawbacks?
None
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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