The story of Pinocchio has been told many times and in many different ways since Carlos Collodi’s novel was first published in 1883 – but I can guarantee you’ve never seen a version like this one.
In Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Italian carpenter Geppetto loses his son Carlo to a bombing raid in the First World War.
Falling into a deep depression, a drunk Geppetto creates a puppet boy as a way of bringing Carlo back.
Like in the 1940 Disney film, the puppet is brought to life by a fairy who takes pity on the old carpenter – but the disobedient Pinocchio is nothing like Carlo, and must forge his path as his own person.
This Netflix film is one of (at least) three adaptations of the Pinocchio story released in 2022, including a live action movie from Disney (based on their own animated film) and an animated version from Russia.
Created using stop-motion animation, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is probably the darkest version since the original novel – but what else would you expect from the director of Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water?
In del Toro’s film, the wooden boy is not just alive, he’s actually immortal – dying several times and meeting Death in the afterlife before returning to the land of the living.
While familiar elements of the story are there, like Pinocchio running away to the circus and being eaten by a giant fish (not a whale in this version), del Toro updates the setting of the film to Fascist Italy, and even includes an appearance by dictator Benito Mussolini.
The 1940 Disney version is so well known it can be a little jarring that del Toro’s version is so different. When Pinnochio is performing at the circus, he doesn’t sing I’ve Got No Strings, and Sebastian J. Cricket (not Jiminy in this version) doesn’t sing about letting your conscience be your guide.
(The songs in del Toro’s film are fine, but they aren’t exactly on Disney’s level.)
The film also subverts the traditional moral message of Pinocchio – while the original novel and the Disney film promote the value of obedience, del Toro uses the rise of fascism to show that disobedience can be a virtue.
The voice cast deliver powerful performances, including young Gregory Mann as both Pinocchio and Carlo, David Bradley as Geppetto, Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, Finn Wolfhard as Candlewick, Christoph Waltz as ringmaster Count Volpe and Tilda Swinton as both the Wood Sprite (Blue Fairy) and Death.
If you’re looking for a different, more mature take on a well-known story, I’d definitely recommend del Toro’s Pinocchio. It may be a bit too dark and scary for younger kids, though.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is available now on Netflix.
Rating: Four stars.
