On December 9, a sensational premiere took place on Netflix – the adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio” directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson. This is already the second adaptation of the famous work in the last few months, so comparisons between them cannot be avoided. In the review below, we tell you why del Toro turned out better than Zemeckis, and what makes this version interesting to an adult audience.

“Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro” / Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Genre dark fantasy, musical, puppet animation
Directors Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Roles voiced by Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman
Premiere Netflix
Graduation year 2022
Site IMDb

Troubled 1916. While Europe plunges rapidly into the bloody hell of the First World War, the Italian woodcarver Geppetto lives happily somewhere in the countryside with his son Carlo. But somehow the boy dies as a result of an airstrike, and the unfortunate old man cannot come to terms with this loss. He misses his child endlessly, clings to the bottle and does almost nothing.

Some time passes. Significant political processes are taking place in Italy, the dictator Mussolini comes to power. During a rainy night near Carlo’s grave, after another empty bottle, Geppetto, full of despair, begins to make a doll. But due to strong intoxication, he does not complete the work and goes to sleep.

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Later, a whimsical Forest Fairy appears in the house, animates the puppet and orders a nearby cricket to watch over the boy and guide him. Pinocchio turns into a living wooden doll that will try to be a good son to his father. But before that, he has to pass a lot of tests in fascist Italy.

Well, Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro got his hands on an immortal children’s classic. Of course, he is not the only one responsible for the good result, because a talented creative team worked on the film. But the influence of the famous Mexican can be seen almost immediately.

This work stands out significantly among contemporary animation projects. Creators use the method of frame-by-frame animation, and such things are a rare guest on screens today. Creating such a cartoon turns out to be a time-consuming process, but when watching it comes a steady understanding that all efforts were in vain.

Local authors were inspired by Gris Grimly’s illustration style in the 2002 edition of Collodi’s work. An admirer of classic black-and-white horror, Edgar Allan Poe and Howard Lovecraft, Grimley became famous for his rather bleak illustrations. This approach in the portrayal of characters is felt here.

Visually, “Pinocchio” does not look like something sterile on the assembly line, like the recent Disney screens, but like a hand-made work. All the lines on the faces of the characters, all the roughness on the doll’s body and all the intentional flaws give the frame a certain authenticity. By the way, the episodic Mussolini is a caricature of an impudent dwarf. Such an image allows us to talk about something more tangible and atmospheric than just a beautiful colorful picture.

The new “Pinocchio” is filled with dark anxiety, strange creatures and whimsical monsters. And the result of the rich imagination of the authors is a sea monster, and the rest of the monsters are completely ordinary people. They are much scarier than any fantastic evil.

At the same time, the main character himself is not at all the cheerful boy from Disney fairy tales, who had perfect proportions and a shine on his cheeks, as if the toy was created in a factory. This is a rather creepy wooden boy, among other things symbolizing Geppetto’s pain. After all, what else could a doll turn out to be, when it was made by a person devastated by grief and very drunk?

However, despite his gloom, this Pinocchio still remains a fairy tale. There is humor and sometimes inappropriate musical performances in it, but at the same time there is much more depth and drama compared to Zemeckis’ version. Disney had a remake of their own animated classic that didn’t add anything new to the original except an obsessive topical agenda. The new creation takes place during the time of fascist Italy, and this leaves a strong impression on the plot.

During his wanderings, which include performances in a puppet theater and rescuing Geppetto from the womb of a sea monster, Pinocchio will not end up in the Land of Fun. Instead, she will have to study in a youth military camp. And here it is perfectly noticeable that even simple children made of flesh, and not of wood, are puppets of the fascist regime. They, poor people, were left not only without the right to childhood, but also without parental love.

So, Deltor’s “Pinocchio” is able to interest adults as well, but only those who are loyal to puppet animation and gloomy fairy tales. Visually, this cartoon looks great, but it’s too thin for a full political statement. However, this work raises acute, including anti-war, topics, adds new meanings to the original source, and turns out to be an interesting reinterpretation of an old history.

Pros:
a perfectly imperfect visual component, additional content to Collodi’s instructive tale, an anti-war message, deep enough drama for a cartoon, a condemnation of the “Hitler Youth” that now flourishes in one crazy half-empire

Cons:
sometimes this “Pinocchio” looks too childish, and moments too adult, the musical component harms the gloomy tone of the story, loud and unexpected sounds of air alarm can scare children.

Conclusion:
“Pinocchio” by Guillermo del Toro is a high-quality reinterpretation of the classic work by Carlo Collodi. This cartoon can be watched by both children and adults, but you should not expect a joyful family viewing. First of all, because interest will cause drama and atmosphere rather than entertainment or humor.