Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Guillermo del Toro exquisitely reinvents Carlo Collodi‘s classic tale of the wooden marionette.
Woodcarver Geppetto’s (David Bradley) life is turned upside-down when his only son, Carlo, dies suddenly. Geppetto plants a pine cone which grows into a tree in memory of his son. One night, in drunken grief, Geppetto cuts down the tree and carves out a boy. That’s when a blue fairy named Wood Sprite (a perfectly-cast Tilda Swinton) casts a spell that brings the wooden marionette to life, naming him Pinocchio (Gregory Mann). But when Geppetto tells Pinocchio he’s a burden, Pinocchio runs off with Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) and his circus. Thus, sending Geppetto on a quest to bring the boy home.
There are a handful of Directors who have distinctive visual aesthetics. One that audiences notice immediately. del Toro is one of those Directors. From the opening frame, audiences know they are stepping into a world created by del Toro. And what a dazzling world he and Co-Director Mark Gustafson created, all in Stop-Motion Animation. With all the retellings this story has had, this is the first time Collodi’s marionette is actually being controlled by a puppeteer. Yet, all the visual flair never takes away from the deep, big-picture themes. These are themes such as identity, grief, parental pressures and more. Impressively, these themes work seamlessly together.
It’s a retelling that can be enjoyed by all audiences but feels targeted toward an adult audience. This is due to this Pinocchio being a much darker version of the beloved fairy tale. del Toro and his Co-Writers have changed the period in which the story takes place. It’s now set in mid-20th century Italy, a time when Europe is between wars and Fascism reigned. It’s a tough time for Pinocchio to be introduced to the world. Even more so when Geppetto is still in anguish over his son’s death.
However, Pinocchio is fresh to the world and approaches it with abandon. Everything is an adventure for the boy, so we also see the world as a wonder. Yet, we also see it for what it truly is. A harsh, cruel world where boys are being trained as soldiers. Additionally, we see how Count Volpe manipulates the innocent Pinocchio. It’s a dark world that finds its humour through Pinocchio’s disobedience and curiosity, but also from the character of Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor).
In this retelling, Cricket has found his home inside the tree that grew from the pine cone. However, when his home turns into Pinocchio he takes up residence inside the boy’s heart. McGregor has the greatest lines in the Film and has impeccable delivery. Other cast standouts are Mann and Bradley. Mann will move you to tears as the lovable Pinocchio and Bradley gives an emotional performance as a grieving father who learns to open his heart again. Additionally, Cate Blanchett’s character will be hard to spot unless you know it going in. She impressively voices Spazzatura, the monkey who works with Count Volpe.
Overall, Pinocchio tells a complex, yet simple, story with many heavy themes in one visually spellbinding package.
Netflix Canada release PINOCCHIO in select theatres Friday, November 11, 2022 and streams worldwide Friday, December 9, 2022.
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