“A father’s wish magically brings a wooden boy to life in Italy, giving him a chance to care for the child.” – IMDB
I think anyone who has seen Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 classic Pan’s Labyrinth knows not to be fooled into thinking that they are walking into a straightforward telling of his latest film Pinocchio. Nope! Fool me once, Guillermo!
(Silently sobs thinking about the ending to Pan’s Labyrinth)
Okay, I’m alright now.
Pinocchio embodies all that is beautiful and heartbreaking about much of del Toro’s work, including the innocence of childhood and corrupting forces of the outside and adult world. In his retelling of this classic children’s fantasy, we find much more heartbreak than in any Disney version. We find Geppetto as a grieving father, having lost his son in World War I. Geppetto, pitied by the mystical Wood Sprite, has his little wooden boy brought to life just as World War II is ramping up in Italy. As you can probably guess, Pinocchio’s journey takes on a much darker tone than any telling you’ve probably seen before.
The movie was absolutely beautiful to watch and the cast was incredible (can I please have Ewan McGregor narrate every movie??). It’s not a movie that I would necessarily watch with the entire family and it’s not necessarily entertaining in the same way that any other retelling of the story is, but it’s a lovely, bittersweet reimagining of it.
Rating: 7 out 10 Claire Bears
🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻
If you like this movie, you should also watch: Big Fish, Spirited Away
Streaming: Netflix
With: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro
Let Me Clarify 