It’s been a while now since Disney started rebooting its most iconic classic movies in a live-action manner. Cult movies such asThe Lion King,Beauty and the Beast, andAladdingot makeovers with top-tier stars, with very mixed results. Furthermore, Disney seems to be planning many more reboots for the future, withThe Little Mermaidclose to premiere, and diverse reception mandates some revision on how a reboot should be made.
In the meantime, as many early Disney movies are based on children’s books, the company doesn’t have full control of every version out there. Needless to say, Walt’s studio has the resources to make every movie memorable, which is not to say that every reboot is. That’s why Guillermo del Toro stood up for the challenge and created his stop-motion rendition ofPinocchio, an all-time classic about the wooden puppet in Italy who wished to be a real boy.
Del Toro’s version, though not live-action, took the character to a whole new level of crude reality in a very charming way. In that sense, Disney’s 2022 reboot fell short of bringing the 1940 animated film to the modern age. Del Toro’s work, on the other hand,reimagines the lessons of a classicuniquely. What did Guillermo del Torodo that Disney didn’t? Let’s focus on the most important aspects of a revival.
What Is The Reason For The Reboot?
The contrast between Disney’s and Del Toro’s versions is particularly evident in their contexts. Whereas the former’s age is hinted at by the architecture or subtle historical references, the latter is explicitly situated in fascist Italy. Far from raising controversies, the director ingeniously tells the story mostly from the eyes of a boy, a likable and naive character trying to understand nationalism and war in a world that doesn’t make sense to him.
Disney probably opted to steer away from polemics, given there was already some resistance to Cynthia Erivo’s casting as the Blue Fairy. Truth be told, Disney doesn’t have the best record of properly reproducing its stories' historical backgrounds. The center of their narrative is usually relationships (especially family ones), something that Guillermo del Toro did not omit but told through a separate lane.
Related:Pinocchio Review: Del Toro’s Great Netflix Movie Shows What Being a Real Boy Means
As mentioned, Del Toro’s originality lies not in historical accuracy but little Pinocchio’s perspective. Though narrated by Sebastian J. Cricket, the movie’s point of view is particularly noticeable when Pinocchio chooses to make fun of a very cartoony Mussolini with humor that ridicules the figure without actually going deep into his historical significance. The references are there and clear, displayed in layers, so adults can appreciate them while children enjoy the heartwarming story, though there it may be abit dark for some audiences.
In the end, the sensation is that Guillermo del Toro’s team did their research to find a true reason to bring back this beloved character. Disney’s reboot feels more like a colder commercial decision of reviving a story that might not necessarily have aged well and added little to the mix to justify almost the same message for modern audiences. Del Toro’sPinocchiospeaks about enduring joy in a world full of nonsense whereas Disney’s rendition is a lackluster metaphor of what entails being “a real-life boy,” a soulless remake,according to critics.
What Can Disney Do In Future Reboots?
At this point, we shouldn’t forget how much Disney does in terms of representation. Diversifying its characters has come a long way, and though there are audiences that rather skip this, many others discover the possibility of a closer identification with the characters on the screen. Furthermore, the studio has given us fantastic narratives many times. They are more than capable of producing strong messages, and they certainly have the resources to do so. Understandably, they know how to choose their fights, and diversity representation is one of them, so there will always be controversies around a film.
Related:Disney Classics That Should Get a Live-Action Remake
That said, Disney’s reboot should have a stronger foundation for a comeback. Relationship-oriented stories grow in value when they attempt to shed some light on very special bonds, such as the families inEncantoorCoco, to mention a few. Though not reboots, these movies are the perfect example of embracing cultural traditions as part of the story, not to mention some good old tunes and picturesque animation. When rebooting a franchise, staying too close to the original is always tricky, especially for films that are almost a century old such asPinocchio. Guillermo del Toro proved that there was a story worth telling about the wooden boy after Disney failed to do so.
It’s not true that movies become classics just for being timeless stories. Every film is a product of its context, and there are only many conditions that make them resist time’s passing. Sometimes, a film growing old is the result of our evolution as a society, where some messages conveyed by art help end society’s ways that no longer make sense.
Disney clearly understands the power behind its content, and how its audiences see through an unmemorable reboot. There is originality in bringing back a tale with surprising relevance in the present as long as it gains a new meaning. The comparison with the original is inevitable, but the point is for these movies to be renewed for younger audiences. Disney mightnot have found the magicfor every remake, but not everything is lost as long as there is a good reason for a reboot.
