Film Review — Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Del Toro’s dark reimagining of a classic packs a lot of heart.
Bought to life by magical forces, the wooden boy Pinocchio struggles to earn his carpenter father’s love in the midst of Mussolini’s fascist Italy.
The epitome of a passion project, Pinocchio has been on Guillermo del Toro’s busy slate for almost fifteen years. Finally realised after years of toiling in development hell, the legendary Mexican filmmaster’s version of a much-loved classic is a devilishly delightful fusion of fairytale and nightmare. The wait was most certainly worth it.
As you would expect from pretty much anything with Del Toro’s name on it, this isn’t the Pinocchio you know. Against the troubled backdrop of fascist Italy, Del Toro and co-writer Patrick McHale (of Adventure Time fame) provide a very different take on Carlo Collodi’s classic creation; an adult fantasy for realists but something that impressively stays true to the spirit of its source material.
The love poured into this is immediately apparent. Propelled by beautifully crafted ornate puppets, Pinocchio is a visual treat in the same vein of Henry Selick’s stop-motion classics, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. Films that, much like this, might not be immediately accessible to younger audiences, but you can be assured, will eventually awaken a deep and passionate love of film.
It’s not perfect, though. At a smidge under two hours, the film does feel a little long, something that could’ve been remedied by removing a few of its less memorable musical numbers. But while it does suffer a slightly bloated midsection, the wonderous first and final acts are more than enough to make this magically dark and twisted labour of love worth your time.
★★★★☆
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