by Jason Mack, Contributing Writer
Guillermo del Toro’s new take on Pinocchio succeeds in every way this year’s Disney live action remake fails. The beautiful stop-motion animation feature is the real boy shining bright, contrasted against Disney’s lifeless puppet, which is ironic considering Toro’s bleaker palette, both visually and thematically.
Due to the bleakness, parents should be warned if they are considering watching with their children, despite the PG rating. This movie has its fun moments and has charming animation, so some kids might gloss over the heavy parts and enjoy it. However, many kids will come away with questions parents might not be interested in discussing yet. The prominence of death, grief, abuse, war, fascism and more death could cause problems.
At the film’s premiere in New York, del Toro addressed this when he told Page Six, “People ask us if it is for kids (and) we say, ‘It’s not made for kids, but kids can watch it if their parents talk to them.’ It’s not a babysitter movie; it’s a movie that will have kids ask questions.”
As an adult, these topics are fascinating. The decision to shift the timeline from the 1800s to the 1930s is brilliant. It allows for a more modern feel than any previous version, while still being enough of a period piece for a woodworker like Geppetto. It also allows the backdrop of both the Great War and its aftermath with the rule of Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party.
Establishing a touching relationship between Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) and his son Carlo (Gregory Mann) before pulling out that rug and exploring Geppetto’s grief adds so much depth to the story, which, in other versions, has had to be implied through subtle context. Bradley, known by many for his roles in the Harry Potter franchise, Game of Thrones, and Hot Fuzz, is the lynchpin for this film’s success. He brings such believable nuance in the transition from caring father to grieving drunkard, along with the journey back to the former.
Bradley is the standout, but he is also surrounded by an incredible cast. Christoph Waltz turns in his best villainous performance since Inglourious Basterds as Count Volpe. Mann shows great comedic chops for a young actor as Pinocchio. Ron Perlman adds menace as the Royal Italian Army leader Podesta, and Finn Wolfhard shines as his son Candlewick in a revolutionized role. Rather than the usual Lampwick character, who is an irredeemable miscreant, Candlewick both teaches and learns lessons from Pinocchio as he struggles with never meeting his father’s expectations. Ewan McGregor provides heart as Sebastian J. Cricket, and he gets to remind everyone that Moulin Rouge was no fluke — he can legitimately sing. The film also benefits from the voice work of Cate Blanchett, Burn Gorman, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro, Tilda Swinton and more.
The music is worth noting, as you get a break from seeing yet another version of “I’ve Got No Strings” or “When You Wish Upon A Star.” If this movie had done the latter song, it probably would have been something more like “When You Drunkenly Curse God For Your Anguish.” It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as well. There is no song as noteworthy or memorable, but del Toro teamed up with composer Alexandre Desplat for the first time since The Shape of Water, and he does a great job creating an original soundtrack. We’re not talking about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” levels of catchiness, but the songs are all solid and often touching.
I saved the best for last, as the greatest asset of this movie is its mesmerizing stop-motion animation. The film’s originality and heart are amazing, but the animation is so great that I even would have enjoyed a soulless retreading of the 1940 Disney classic if it were designed this way. The visual effects are where del Toro put a lot of his stamp on the movie, and you can especially feel his influence with the terrifying design of the giant Dogfish. This is one of the most enjoyable visual experiences in years.
I also strongly recommend the making-of documentary, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema. Much like Laika classics such as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, the making-of featurettes are equally as entertaining, if not more so, than the movie itself, and they add a great appreciation for the accomplishments of the film. And as del Toro pointed out, there is something poetic about using puppetry to create a movie featuring a puppet coming to life.
This should be a front-runner to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it would make my list of nominees for Best Picture. The only thing that might keep me from rewatching it regularly is not being in the mood to cry, because it pulls hard at the heartstrings.
Score: 9/10
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is currently streaming on Netflix
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