After losing his son Carlo (Gregory Mann) during the great war, master carpenter Geppetto (David Bradley) is driven mad. One night, in a drunken stupor, Geppetto creates a new son, a wooden boy named Pinocchio (Mann), hoping that he will fill the massive void in his heart. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a new, darker take on the classic tale–and this version is far more emotional than what we’ve seen in the past. With new adventures out there for Geppetto and the magically-brought-to-life Pinocchio, challenges surely lurk in the shadows–promising to make every turn dangerous and tempestuous.
Once again Writer-Director Guillermo del Toro uses magical realism (this time with Co-Director Mark Gustafson) to bring one of his insane stories to life. Pinocchio is a story that nearly everyone has heard before–and it holds a place in our hearts. The one that most are familiar with, however, is Disney’s animated version; it’s innocent and more geared toward children–but that’s not del Toro’s cup of tea.
The tone of this classic tale is quickly flipped on its head–and, while the film is animated, the realism present in each and every aspect of what this team creates allows viewers to see something impeccably close to live-action. The use of realism (and magical realism) to tell the story throughout the course of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio transports viewers to this fictional world–and it keeps them engaged, immersed in a beautiful recreation of what we all know and love. del Toro’s stamp on the film brilliantly shifts this beautiful story–and it invites a new audience into its orbit.
Set to the backdrop of fascist Italy, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio shifts the tone of this story drastically–pulling it away from the family-friendly journey that we all know and love, and creating something far more dramatic. In this story, viewers see death and destruction on a scale that one might not typically expect in an animated film, especially one based on a children’s tale. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is written by not only del Toro, but by Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins as well–and together they create something emotionally relevant, powerful, and historically accurate (taking into consideration the fact that it’s about a talking puppet). While I enjoy other renditions of the film, the story that this team creates is far more engaging, much more far-reaching, and more morally effective than others.
With a star-studded cast, it seems impossible that the voice acting in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio could fail–and it does all that viewers expected. Led by individuals such as Ewan McGregor (Cricket), Ron Perlman (Podesta), and Cate Blanchett (Spazzatura), every second of this film is guided by beautiful voice acting, hitting every emotional note, driving the story forward, and reaching viewers in every possible way. With that being said, however, it’s the lesser-known Mann that steals the show. His young, passionate voice is so powerful–bringing to life the titular character. What’s interesting regarding his voice is that it had to be digitally altered. As Mann aged on set, his voice began to change, to exist outside of what was needed for the character. His ability to bring emotion to life and allow it to shine so brightly throughout Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is stellar, and in the early going it was just the right tone to keep the ball rolling–so much so that Sound Supervisor Scott Martin Gershin had the difficult task of recreating it for the rest of the film. Much like what Mann initially brought to the table–Gershin replicates it incredibly well.
I was skeptical when watching Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, as his typical cinematic tone doesn’t appear to be conducive to an effective telling of the talking marionnette’s story. del Toro and his team, however, manipulate this story so that it not only fits their scheme, but thrives in it. A darker, more realistic telling of Pinocchio, whether you knew it or not, is what the world needed. It more appropriately captures the intensity of Geppetto’s harrowing journey, and it delivers real emotion, not something fabricated for family-friendly entertainment. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a powerful story of love and loss, presented in a new (and darker) light–capturing intensity throughout. With del Toro doing what he does best–Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio thrives from start to finish.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson.
Written by Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale, Carlo Collodi, & Matthew Robbins.
Starring Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturo, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Tom Kenny, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½10
Comments