Comparing Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio [2022] to the Classic Tale

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a stop-motion musical. It illustrates the chronicles of a father whose wish for a child magically incarnates a puppet into a human. This film uses a distinct stop-motion animation style. It is set in 1930s Italy during the country’s fascist governance.

Del Toro has a peculiar storytelling style; his lifelong commitment to turning the figments of his imagination into physical realities makes his decision to select stop-motion for his first animated feature an obvious and perfect decision.

The characters in the movie have tactile realism, and Del Toro’s Pinocchio epitomizes the twisted blend of tale and technique into coherent philosophical storytelling. The story is about imperfect fathers and sons; the stop-motion animation capitalizes on the irreplicable quality of the human touch one frame at a time.

Trailer: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

The movie is inspired by Carlo Collodi’s classic novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio.” Del Toro’s creations exist as entities in this plane of reality. He has been awarded for his phenomenal storytelling and ingenuity.

Watch the trailer now to see how the characters and story arc are realistically created to provide a thorough insight into the chronicles of Pinocchio. The story obeys cinema’s longstanding tradition of depicting fanciful worlds in front of the camera with practical originality.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Review

The video was penned by Del Toro and co-screenwriter Patrick McHale, known for his incredible work “Over the Garden Wall.” Del Toro’s Pinocchio transports the character to the early 1900s, as the Great War breaks in Europe. The peaceful countryside is home to Gepetto, played by David Bradley, to the native townspeople, a model Italian citizen, and his 10-year-old son Carlo played by Gregory Mann.

Carlo is an obedient son who fulfills all of his father’s expectations. Unfortunately, due to a cruel stunt from the heavens, Carlo is taken from Gepetto, annihilating his once idyllic outlook on life. Ewan McGregor voices Sebastian Cricket, a pompous insect initially only intrigued by recounting his feats who narrates the hereunder tragedy.

Grief-struck Geppetto carves a puppet from a pine tree near Carlo’s tombstone in a drunken stupor that plays out with the uncanniness of a horror movie.

The wood puppet gains consciousness by the hand of the Wood Sprite, played by Tilda Swinton, a new take on the character of the Blue Fairy that resembles an angel as described in the Old Testament. It can be imagined as the Angel of Death. The winged creature and the beguiling chimera that represents Death later in the story elaborate Del Toro’s interest in the supernatural forces that affect mortals’ paths on earth and the singular version of the afterlife.

The fantastical Angel tells Sebastian, “In this World, you get what you give,” and asks him to be Pinocchio’s conscience in exchange for a wish. Del Toro and McHale feature pithy refrains like these, which avoid repeating fairytale platitudes based on impossible morality.

Instead, they advocate for the wisdom found in forgiving oneself for the mistakes of the past because it’s in between successes and failures our destiny is decided. Moreover, the stop-motion animation occurs between the frames to remind us what we are witnessing is painstakingly directed cinematic puppetry.

Some studios, such as Laika, use face replacement technology to create nuanced stop-motion puppets, and del Toro and co-director Mark persevered to depict a realistic stop-motion with the help of Claymation master Will Vinton.

He utilized figures with mechanical visages that require delicate manipulation from the animators for a slightly less immaculate result in movement but one that makes the hand of the artists known.

You will be astonished by the superb craftsmanship in every detail of the characters that inhabit this darkly whimsical Pinocchioverse. The attention to detail is immaculate. Every hair strand on Geppetto’s head, the wrinkles in his weathered craftsman hands, or the material of his garments are minuscule strokes of cinematic awesomeness.

Likewise, the animation of Pinocchio feels elemental with the organic blemishes of real wood, mischievously adorable faces, disruptive hairstyles, and realistic mannerisms. Unarguably, this might be the most truthful on-screen depiction of the character ever.

The film’s soul is embedded in the breathtaking dedication of production designers, costume designers, and art directors. Every frame is a work of art. The movie depicts the innocence of Pinocchio as he sings about every object he encounters as an incredible discovery; there’s an abrasive and eager side to his personality that resonates honestly with the less flattering aspects of the children’s psychology.

Geppetto doesn’t accept his new offspring, given that the Catholic churchgoers believe that Pinocchio is the reincarnation of Carlos, but he hopes to mold him into who Carlo was.

As Pinocchio is born without the inhibitions of the human condition, he conforms to the social norms to gain his father’s affection and validation. Del Toro is known for his impeccable storytelling about those whose appearance, origin, and worldview isolate them from the masses.

You will see dominating political ideologies in the movie as well. Fascism is a dangerous political school of thought that demands submission while discouraging uniqueness. In failing to accept their sons for who they are and not who they wish them to be, all the fathers in the movie partake in a perverse dynamic of control.

Organized religions seek a similar approach, holding one’s mistakes against us as a reminder of our unworthiness and why we should listen to the teachings of its ancient manuscripts. A wooden Jesus on the cross, the image of an infallible God, looks down on the sinful flock.

The movie critiques notwithstanding Catholicism. Del Toro and Gustafson’s Pinocchio provide a striking spiritual experience. At some point, the intelligently plotted narrative veers from its sights to teaching Pinocchio why mortality is both a gift and a curse. Carlo and Pinocchio are both voiced by Mann, while Swinton enlivens both the Death and Wood Spirit, denoting a marked duality at play about what was but no longer is.

It provides a thorough insight that life and death are two sides of the same coin. Life is an ordeal worth dying for, and in the crevices of all that we consider to make us outcasts, we can find pockets of happiness with others like us.

The screenplay ends with a poetic finale. Sebastian casts a lovingly life-affirming spell to denote that every human will pass, but their stories will endure. Pinocchio becomes a magnum opus for Del Toro that channels his interests and beliefs. Pinocchio is an impeccable masterpiece; if the art of making movies resembles magic, this is one of Del Toro’s greatest incarnations. Well, what are you waiting for? Watch Pinocchio on Netflix now.

Where can you watch Del Toro’s Pinocchio?

You must be wondering where to watch Pinocchio, well we have your back. You can watch Pinocchio on Netflix. Many other illegal streaming sites feature the series, but it is not advised to watch from there. However, Pinocchio is available on Netflix.

FAQs

Is Pinocchio based on a true story?

Pinocchio is a fictional story about a wood-carved boy incarnated by a magic fairy. The story is about Love, Hope, Morality, and Spirituality.

When was Pinocchio released on Netflix?

Pinocchio hit the streaming service on 9^th December 2022. You can stream Pinocchio on Netflix now.

What is the subscription cost for Netflix?

You can subscribe to Netflix for $7/month. The package prices will go up to $20/month for the best streaming quality.

Conclusion

Are you wondering how to watch Pinocchio on Netflix from anywhere? Well, Netflix has different content libraries for different regions, and to stream a particular library, you must have a local IP of that particular region. Therefore, you would need a premium VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN because it has different lightning-fast servers in many locations so that you can stream Pinocchio from anywhere.

Find out more:

• Best Christmas Movies
• Best New Year Movies
• Watch Interstellar on Netflix
• Watch Pinocchio on Disney Plus

Betty Carter

Betty is an enthusiastic Computer Science Graduate and an extrovert who loves to watch Netflix, and is a binge-watcher always seeking quality shows to add to her watch history! She loves to write about the show, she has watched, to make her readers acknowledge them, and witness a cherished time with friends, and family!