When it was announced that Disney would release their live-action remake ofPinocchiojust months before Guillermo del Toro brought his version of the little wooden puppet to life on Netflix, it was assumed that Disney’s magic would win the battle. However,Guillermo del Toro’sPinocchiohas not only landed a near-perfect 97% critic approval rating onRotten Tomatoes, but has tripled the dismal 29% approval rating given to his House of Mouse counterpart and become the second-highestPinocchioadaptation ever behind only Disney’s original animated classic.
After waiting for years for a new take onPinocchio, 2022 was the year two iterations dropped almost simultaneously. WhileDisney stuck to the scriptfor their live-action film and seemingly lost the movie’s heart for doing so, del Toro has always preferred darker fairy tales. His version of the classic Italian story goes back to the basics of the Collodi novel and brings his signature scary fantasy to it in a way that has never been done before. Clearly, that has been a winning formula, and his new movie proves that it is something that both critics and audiences have been more than happy to go along with.
The film features an excellent voice cast, with Gregory Mann in the lead role as the wooden boy. Ewan McGregor joins as Sebastian J. Cricket, Ron Perlman is Podesta, Finn Wolfhard is Candlewick, Cate Blanchett as Spazzatura, David Bradley as Geppetto, and Burn Gorman as Priest. In addition, Tim Blake Nelson will appear in a role as Black Rabbits, Tilda Swinton is Wood Sprite/Death, John Turturro is Dottore, and Christopher Waltz plays Count Volpe.
Related:Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale Discuss Challenges of Bringing Pinocchio to the Screen
Who IsGuillermo Del Toro’s PinocchioAimed At?
In short, anyone who wants to watch it. Guillermo del Toro has spoken several times recently about his belief thatanimated movies are not just for children, and his latest project has given him the perfect opportunity to prove that. He previously said:
“I’ve always been very intrigued by the links between Pinocchio and Frankenstein. They are both about a child that is thrown into the world. They are both created by a father who then expects them to figure out what’s good, what’s bad, the ethics, the morals, love, life, and essentials, on their own. I think that was, for me, childhood. You had to figure it out with very limited experience. These are times that demand from kids a complexity that is tremendous. Far more daunting, I think, than when I was a child. Kids need answers and reassurances…. For me, this is both for children and adults that talk to each other. It tackles very deep ideas about what makes us human.”
After having been the assumed underdog going into this year’s battle of the Pinocchios, Guillermo del Toro has delivered a knock-out blow with his take on the wooden boy who longs to be a real boy. You can findGuillermo del Toro’s PinocchioonNetflix.
