Film Review: PINOCCHIO (2022): Guillermo del Toro Helps Bring to Life a New Take on a Classic Tale in an Ambitious Film

Pinocchio Review

Pinocchio (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, written by Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale and starring Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Tom Kenny, Alfie Tempest, Anthea Greco, Francesca Fanti, Rio Mangini and Benjamin Valic.

Directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson have re-created the classic tale of Pinocchio from Carlo Collodi’s famous book. This is a darker Pinocchio and probably will certainly be a bit scary for younger kids to watch. Del Toro made this film as a passion project of his and, as such, it’s highly ambitious and hits the mark more often than not. Ewan McGregor’s passionate vocal work as “Sebastian J. Cricket” is nothing short of passionate and highly admirable here. This is a much more authentic (and ugly) looking Jiminy Cricket, if you will. This character is, of course, Pinocchio’s sidekick and is known in the picture by a different name which pretty much takes away the “Jiminy” found in the animated adaptations of the source material.

Set in Italy during the 1930’s, the stop-motion animated film opens with the story of Geppetto (voice of David Bradley) who has a young son named Carlo (voice of Alfie Tempest) who dies an untimely death in an unexpected fire. This film begins by exploring the father-son bond before tragedy strikes. The visually powerful Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton’s distinct voice) appears and brings the wooden puppet, Pinocchio (voice of Gregory Mann), to life to help poor Geppetto function better. As Geppetto tells it, a nose will grow if someone tells a lie, and, of course, Pinocchio’s nose will grow in very interesting ways during the course of the film.

Pinocchio signs a contract with Count Volpe (the brilliant voice of Christoph Waltz) who pulls the puppet from school in order to exploit Pinocchio in a traveling sideshow while Pinocchio’s dad, Geppetto, must find a way to locate his beloved new puppet son. McGregor’s Sebastian Cricket convinces Geppetto that Pinocchio is truly precious, but Geppetto probably didn’t need any convincing despite his short fuse when it comes to the wooden puppet’s antics. How did Pinocchio sign the contract with Count Volpe? With a simple smiley face but that smiley face solidifies a deal which is hard to break.

There’s a little bit of Pinocchio in all of us. His curiosity, honesty and need for love can ring true despite the dark nature of the way this story is told by del Toro and Gustafson. When Pinocchio’s nose grows, it’s very showy as branches seem to come from the wood. Also interesting is the scenario where Pinocchio’s feet are burned off and Geppetto has to make him new feet. It seems Pinocchio was unaware his feet were vanishing as the heat was burning them up. This puppet is innocent and needs to be taught about the ways of the world.

There’s a very concerned priest (voiced by Burn Gorman) in the movie who is just one of the religious pieces of the puzzle the film presents alongside a Jesus statue in need of repair and a more ominous version of the Wood Sprite, who is pretty much Death, itself. Although religion isn’t the only portion of the movie that’s a bit uncomfortable to watch, it’s an important part of the story the filmmakers wanted to tell.

McGregor’s narration can remind one of the way the actor presented himself in Moulin Rouge! with his passionate reciting of lines that are a bit optimistic and corny but nevertheless powerful. McGregor is perfect as the brightness amongst the darkness this movie presents to viewers.

This new Pinocchio is a brave vision that ultimately works extremely well if you stick with it past the opening scenes. Not everyone will because of the way this story is presented. This tale is usually presented in a kid-friendly fashion and this time out, many kids who watch may be baffled by its complexities and advanced philosophies. There’s no denying the technical precision of the picture, though. This is a masterfully made film despite the uneasiness of some of the themes found within the movie. Pinocchio is realized in such a way that he is vulnerable and passionate. It’s a fully fleshed out character study of a puppet come to life that looks and feels intriguing despite the minimalist approach the picture takes to envisioning the character cinematically from a visual standpoint.

Cate Blanchett provides the voice of a monkey called Spazzatura and she’s here with her very strong voice work to remind audiences she’s in the running for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in the brilliant Tár. Other characters on board include Ron Perlman’s Podesta and his attention hungry son, Candlewick (voice of Finn Wolfhard).

It all culminates in a way that Pinocchio tales often do with lessons learned though this picture feels like it was made for adults with its more devastating and harsh plot developments. It is certain del Toro is a master filmmaker, though, and his vision is adequately brought to life here in such a way that you will stay with this movie throughout the duration of its running time. The first 15-minutes are the hardest part to get through because this is not your mother’s Pinocchio. Once you’re past that fact, it’s easy to be captivated by the picture. However, it’s ultimately a very layered, complex story of love that’s not for everyone but is also very hard to ignore given the gravity of the themes it explores.

Rating: 8/10

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