Review: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
The best kind of reimagining, this stop-motion film transforms a familiar tale into a passionate fable of compassion and tenderness
By Valerie Kalfrin
Pinocchio is a story we may think we know, but we don’t. So says director Guillermo del Toro, whose retelling breathes new life and pathos into a tale so many of us know through Disney cartoons and pop culture.
Airing on Netflix, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a more mature take on Carlo Collodi’s nineteenth-century original than Disney’s little wooden head of 1940, who sang and danced about how he had no strings. It’s also a stop-motion animated masterpiece, rich with emotion, texture, and detail both on the surface and within the story itself.
Knock on a piece of wood, and you might hear an echo depending on whether it’s solid or hollow. Del Toro (The Shape of Water, Hellboy), directing with animation veteran Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox), and writing with Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall), has crafted a solid story that echoes themes of love and acceptance, all nestled within his unique artistic style.
Life at first is simple and sweet, bathed in soft yellow sunlight, for Italian woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley, Doctor Who) and his ten-year-old son, Carlo (Gregory Mann, Victoria), an obedient child who…
