Review: Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' is a uniquely dark and wondrous adaptation

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
4 out of 5 Stars
Directors: Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale, Mathew Robbins
Starring: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Ron Pearlman, Cate Blanchett, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton
Genre: Animation, Drama, Family
Rated: PG for dark thematic material, violence, peril, some rude humor and brief smoking

"Pinocchio" will have a limited theatrical run in select cities before appearing on Netflix on December 9, 2022.

Studio Synopsis: A darker version of the classic children's fairy tale of a wooden puppet that transforms into a real living boy.

Review: If you are familiar with any of Guillermo del Toro’s films, it won’t surprise you to learn that his version of “Pinocchio” is radically different from Disney’s animated and live-action versions of the story. Even in the hands of Disney, the story is a tale of longing centered on a lonely carpenter and wooden boy who wants to be the normal, real child that his creator intended him to be. In del Toro’s hands, the film is dramatically darker.

Set during the first World War in Fascist Italy, Geppetto (David Bradley) is a content carpenter who spends his days working his craft and his nights reading, laughing and loving his young son. When his city is bombed and his son is killed, Geppetto loses his faith in God and becomes a drunken recluse. One night, in a fit of rage, Geppetto carves a wooden boy out of a tree that he and his son had planted years before.

Taking pity on Geppetto, a Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) breathes life into the crudely carved boy. Thus begins the journey of Pinocchio (Gregory Mann).

Despite a good heart, Pinocchio is akin to a defiant teenager with no life experience. Finding little of his dead son in Pinocchio, Geppetto turns away from his disappointing creation. Pinocchio, already impulsive, is easily courted by the promise of fame by Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz), a ringmaster for a traveling sideshow, who sees financial potential in a stringless puppet.

Things get darker before they stray into the light. They do, however, find the light. You see, for all of del Toro’s love of creepy, challenging stories, he does often find a place of peace and meaning at the end of the storm.

Created using stop-motion animation, “Pinocchio” has a rough, but beautiful, aesthetic. It, like most of del Toro’s films, takes place in a fantasy world just outside of the world that we live in. Thematically there are ties to del Toro’s masterpiece “Pan’s Labyrinth.” His disdain for fascism is as vivid as ever.

The film’s PG rating feels a touch soft. There are some children who won’t be prepared for del Toro’s more challenging adaptation. Parents with sensitive children will want to watch the film with their child to help guide them through to safety.

Ultimately, “Pinocchio” is a tale of innocence lost, purpose gained and self-sacrifice in the name of love. It isn’t gorgeous in the traditional sense of the world, but it is beautiful in its own unique way.