Review by Mr. Will Wong
What a delight that on Disney+ Day, subscribers get treated to a new live-action adaptation of Disney‘s PINOCCHIO, directed by the incredible Robert Zemeckis? And while the Film might’ve deserved a theatrical run with a lack of family releases having hit the big screen this Summer, either way it will find a way into our hearts.
The recipe still contains the same magical ingredients in this classic tale. Pinocchio (Canada’s own Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is a wooden puppet brought to life by the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo), carved by solitary Toymaker and Woodcarver Geppetto (Tom Hanks). Wanting no more than to become a real boy, Pinocchio along with confidante Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) get separated from Geppetto, whom Pinocchio adores like his own dad, and in their adventures, Pinocchio discovers the essence of what it is to really live.
The message of Pinocchio still rings true to this day. We might not all fit the boxes or standard definitions of what we strive to be or are expected to be, but if our heart is in it enough, that just might be enough. Zemeckis’ take brings a bright energy, telling this renewal of the story with spirited musical numbers, beautiful Animation and Visual Effects, to connect with a new audience. While the decision to remake a classic is always placed under scrutiny, we have no qualms when it is done this well, paying tribute to the spirit of the original.
Ainsworth is fantastic in the lead role, breathing an unadulterated innocence into the beloved puppet, with Hanks working off this to deliver us a loving father-son dynamic the is the heart and soul of the Film. We wouldn’t have known Jiminy Cricket was voiced by Gordon-Levitt unless we glanced at the Credits, so that is saying something about his transformation. Disney’s PINOCCHIO tugs on the heartstrings, giving us feelings we haven’t felt in a long time a the Movies. We miss that.
Disney’s PINOCCHIO arrives September 8, 2022 on Disney+.
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