User Reviews

With less than 1/4 of the budget of the soulless Disney live action remake earlier this year, Del Toro & Co. Have managed to craft a version of Pinocchio with more personality, heart, and soul than Disney could have dreamed of crafting.

It injects new life into the character by telling a story that is vastly different both narratively and thematically than any version we've seen on screen before.

This tale deals with the malleability of identity, unconditional love, the impressionable nature of children, and the close link between joy and sorrow. And it does so with dark wit, refreshingly complex three-dimensional characters, and stunningly haunting stop-motion animation.

However, I do think this could have benefited a bit from cutting down on the plethora of plot points and having Pinocchio and Geppetto spend more time together. This version lacks the tight focus and brisk pacing of the 1940 version.

But aside from this, I was thoroughly entranced by this dark fairy tale. It has a spine and a soul, and unlike it's titular protagonist, it's far from wooden.

Right from the get go there're some loop holes, and themes that seems a bit odd but then it grew on me. While my brain is processing and nitpicking the logic, my eyes and heart enjoys this. After finishing the movie, other than shedding some tears, I don't really feel anything much but entertained. Half day in, the movie is now stuck in my mind. Took me awhile to process the meaning of life I took from this movie, and the beauty, the growth, the love, the treasuring the time we have together, precious time. It is now in a special place in my heart. Hands down the best Pinocchio movie I have the honour of watching, in my lifetime. Thank you.

A new Guillermo Del Toro movie is always something worth getting excited about, and I think his take on Pinocchio is another winner. While it might not live up to his very best films, it's another strong addition to his filmography... though it's also worth mentioning that he co-directed this one. Mark Gustafson is the other director, and he's not going to get as much credit as Del Toro, being the lesser-known name. But I imagine you don't get credited as a co-director unless you do a good deal of the work, so he shouldn't go ignored.

It's easy to see why this take on the Pinocchio story was appealing to Del Toro. It's a fairly dark fairytale, it deals with child characters in a cruel world, it blends fantasy and real-world conflict (here, it's set in Italy I think either before or at the start of WW2), and it's also a story with big emotions, being heartfelt and also surprisingly sad in places. All these themes/directorial trademarks can be found in Del Toro's other films, which makes this one feel right at home among them (even if it's the first to be animated).

The animation looks unique and is great to look at throughout. Unlike other animated movies with unique looks, I didn't feel like this one took a while to get used to. It pulls you in right away, and I think the music helps a great deal, too. It's overall a nice-looking and nice-sounding movie, with pretty good voice-acting, too.

The fact that it deals with mature themes (surprising amounts of death and Fascism in this movie) and might look unsettling to some, while also having child-friendly comic relief and music numbers do make it feel a bit odd tonally. I appreciate the effort that went into making this a movie with elements that'll appeal to younger viewers, and elements that'll appeal to older viewers, but I'm not sure the variety of tones is always balanced expertly. If I had any criticism, it's that, but otherwise, this is a very good animated movie, and another triumph for Del Toro (and his co-director!).

This film is NOT meant to have the light-hearted happy-go-lucky vibes of Disney's 1940 Pinocchio movie, but rather a modernised take praising the wonders of childhood, faith and friendship; up against the all-consuming tyranny of fascism (its take on Mussolini is hilarious), deceptive show-business tactics; and the double-edged sword of Time (and Life) itself.

Pinocchio is a conceptually HEAVY film that doesn't condescend on its younger audiences nor it's older ones: it respects all the age groups equally and without compromising the story and fairytale-qualities of the Pinocchio story at its core. It's like a hard-boiled folktale that knows when to be optimistic and when to be cautionary in equal measures; and that's the magic Guillermo Del Toro does so goddamn well in SPADES.

This is 2022's best animated feature film, and one of Netflix's best film offerings in years. And it was worth the wait on Del Toro's part too.

All in all, Pinocchio was WORTH IT; big time! And hella better than Disney's 2022 live-action turd too.

It's a 5/5 star experience.

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio is exactly that, a beautiful and unique interpretation of a classic that explores death and grief in ways that are often emotional and heartbreaking whilst still delivering a fun adventure with gorgeous animation against a classically disturbing Del Toro backdrop.

Gregory Mann gives an incredible lead performance, imbuing Pinocchio with a boundless warmth and naivety that thankfully never becomes annoying. Ewan McGregor makes for a terrific comic relief and is an absolute joy to hear whenever he's on screen.

David Bradley is so good as Geppetto, subtly bringing so much pain to his character that breaks your heart and makes his moments of happiness all the better to experience. Rounding out the cast is Christoph Waltz, on point as usual with another truly evil character.

Guillermo Del Toro's and Mark Gustafson's direction is absolutely phenomenal, everything from the movement of the characters, to their designs and the vibrant colour palette is gorgeous and endlessly watchable. The music by Alexandre Desplat is amazing, giving the film a perfect sense of whimsy for a fairytale.

Hot on the heels of the Disney released Tom Hanks starring misfire that has found little fanfare around the world after its release on Disney+, Netflix's high profile and ambitious take on Carlo Collodi's beloved children's tale courtesy of the overseeing of Guillermo del Toro and his co-director Mark Gustafson is an artistic triumph that successful re-imagines the tale of a wooden boy and his creator/father in a way that brings new life and freshness to a story that unquestionably wasn't in need of yet another cinematic adaptation.

Transporting the fantastical adventure of Pinocchio (hear voiced by Gregory Mann) from the setting of 1800's Italy to pre-World War 2 Italy under the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini and his National Fascist Party, del Toro and Gustafson's tale is a lot more mature and adult-minded than we've seen most times previously in film versions of this tale but as is to be expected from anything with the Mexican artists touch, the film still manages to offer up whimsy, heart and laughter around all the more serious elements that are sure to affect adult viewers here even more than any little ones that give the film a go.

Currently the longest stop-motion feature film ever made, every frame of Pinocchio is a significant feat of artistry come to life and vision explored, with one left wondering how on earth the team behind this effort managed to pull off such exemplary feats of animation to birth this tale into existence and whether its colourful cities, mangy looking monkey sidekicks, rabbit filled underworlds or a belly of a giant sea beast there is no doubt every inch of this Netflix original is right up there with the best of 2022's feats of film-making, making this film as close to a shoe-in as possible for this years Best Animated Film Oscar.

While there is so much to enjoy in a visual and aesthetics point of view not everything else in del Toro and Gustafson's film works to the same high level with some of the films infrequent hit and mostly miss humour (a frequently explored joke of Ewan McGregor's mistreated Cricket grows wearisome), hammer over the head reminder that fascism is bad, Mann's slightly irritating voice work of Pinocchio and most tellingly a collection of songs that feel slightly underused and questionable in a sense that perhaps this film might have worked perfectly fine ditching the song and dance numbers all together, combine to stop Pinocchio from operating in other departments as highly and memorably as it does in a purely artistically viewed point of analysis.

Undoubtedly Pinocchio can be viewed as a success and head and shoulders above the other 2022 film of the same name but when it comes to what cinematic version of Collodi's tale still remains best, the 1940 Disney animation must still be regarded as the king.

Final Say -

An outstanding artistic achievement that fails to inspire the same level of magic and awe as its technical prowess elsewhere, Netflix's Pinocchio is a good film that could've been an all round masterpiece if other pieces had come together to reach the same levels of its artistry.

3 1/2 hot chocolates out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

From the get go, this movie had everything going for it. Guillermo del Toro knows how to make a good film, and this was definitely no exception. Now I'm a fan of the 1954 Pinocchio, and I'll say right off the bat that this is not a remake! Don't be foolish and think that, because this is an adaptation of the book more than anything. This movie took some creative liberties, some really good creative liberties, in fact. The movie is set during World War II, in an Italy under Mussolini. War plays a huge role in this film, and I think Del Toro did a good job of taking the basic ideas from the original story, and expanding on them. For example, a certain island setting from the original story is not present in this film, but in its place is a genius substitute that serves practically the same kind of purpose in a way. Every character is interesting and the worlds are very dense with details. While having a dark tone, the movie also finds a way to be upbeat and charming at times. Also, the music is great, the musical songs are pleasing to the ear. Best of all, the visuals are stunning, the puppets capture emotion even though they're puppets. This movie beats Disney's remake by a long shot, and I hope it gets lots of credit for that. Watch this movie if you like the story of Pinocchio, but expect differences and a darker tone. Your kids will like it, and you will love it. 10/10 totally recommend.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) follows a father's wish that magically brings a wooden boy to life. Unfortunately, I don't like this film as much as others do. It's a good film to put on in the background but I found it incredibly hard to pay consistent attention to.

Where this film really stands out is in its animation, the stop motion is done very well and the movie has such a unique look to it. The visuals are very dark and fit the gritty tone of the story. There's also some nice colour palettes at times.

The film includes a lot of songs, and for the most part I found them fairly forgettable. The voices also sound way too auto-tuned which gets quite annoying. However, the score itself is pretty decent and there's some good sound design, especially at the end where it really adds a lot of emotion to the story.

The voice acting from everyone was impressive, but unfortunately I found a lot of the characters to be fairly unlikeable. Ewan McGregor is great as the cricket, and probably my favourite character. Also, Tilda Swinton is perfect and I can't imagine anyone else doing better in her roles. Pinocchio, for me, comes across as very annoying, so it's hard to route for him at times. Additionally, I wasn't keen on Geppetto.

The film starts off with a sad and gripping first act, but I slowly lost my interest as the film progressed. I just don't find it entirely engaging and I feel it tries to balance way too many subplots at once, it completely lost me on more than one occasion. Unfortunately for me, I feel this movie drags a lot.

Geppetto's carved and chiselled a new son, replacing Carlo who was tragically taken, made from fine Italian pine, dovetailed, screwed and fixed with twine, just imagine his surprise when he awakens; as a Wood Sprite's taken pity on this fellow, who's sorrow, grief and sadness make him bellow, taken all internal strife, the grain now imbued full of life, though he won't age, he might just season, but never grow (except for an inbuilt polygraph). A cricket helps, to make sharp edges round, untying knots that seek to limit and to bound, but there's danger in the town, someone else would like to own, it's not too long before Pinocchio's has gone; whisked away, by the unscrupulous Count Volpe, who's recognised a fortuitous, new pay day, a puppet without strings, will make his tills ka-ching and ring, with some swindling alongside a small betray.

A dark and tenebrous retelling of the tale of the wooden boy that introduces some additional tangents and places it during the turbulent times of war and conflict. Great animation, some great dialogue, only tarnished by the fact that it's a perpetually told story, and you know what familiarity invariably brings (if you're of a certain age).

I really have very high expectation given the trailers and today I watched it and wow this is fantastic I love the visual and animation and the story telling. This is very mature in comparsion Disney 1940s animated version.

The stop motion is beautifully done and the songs is very nice to listen too I like this isn't insulting to older or young audience similar to the film Coraline which fits and this is 100x better than the live action remake Disney done just to cash in all the classic movies.

Overall, there is some issues but this doesn't take way the fact this movie is a masterpiece between amazing story, incredible animation and interesting characters and lovely songs I highly recommend this if you haven't seen it dont watch live action remake version watch this one.

10/10 perfect score.

I literally only have one complaint. The reimagining is different, but gripping and still true to its source! The casting was flawless! The music and ocasional song meshed perfectly with the moment!

My one and only complaint is the length. It's about 35-40 minutes to long. I won't go into detail about which scenes I thought could use shaving, but suffice to say I found myself looking at the time left and thinking "yikes, how am I only halfway though this movie?" I loved it. It made me laugh, cry and ponder many a question about the human soul. Def worth a watch, especially if you have a little time to kill lol.

So confused why this has so many good reviews? I'm gonna take a guess and say because it's by Guillermo, who I absolutely adore. Shape of water and pan's Labyrinth are perfect. I even love Devil's backbone. Maybe not Crimson peak so much tho...but I normally love his movies. And you can feel his darkness in this but I think Pinocchio might be the most annoying character on screen ever. I wanted to throw him into a fire. The voice actor was bad for me. He sounded like a snotty kid screaming at his mum in Harrods. And the singing...wow.

Obviously it looks amazing. It's absolutely stunning. But the annoying character and boring story just made me so irritated.

Pinocchio is a beautiful film with a new perspective on the classical fairytale, its characters, and the world. It's not a kids' movie and is made in Guillermo del Toro's signature style with a somewhat gloomy tone. Del Toro adds a lot to the story of Pinocchio and explores such deep themes as life, death, mortality, loss, family, parenthood, war, etc.

The production design is very charming, and the stop-motion style adds to the unique atmosphere. The music is beautiful, and the songs don't feel awkward or out of place.

It is one of the best-animated films of this year and one of my favorites from del Toro.

In case you were wondering what was missing from an adaptation of Pinocchio: 1) more Fascist commentary (not to mention Tom Kenny voicing Mussollini); 2) Frankenstein allusions (or sorry did I say allusions I mean he's clearly so in love with ol' Frank that the imagery is just there in spades); 3) a showstopper Ewan McGregor musical number that hilariously keeps getting interrupted until the ending (you'll hear it at the Oscar's live I bet); 4) the word 'Burden' made existential and harrowing for a child of wood; and 5) and an even more gnarly designed sea beast. It also made me laugh and cry and lay back in awe in my theater - feel lucky if you get a chance to go see theatrical and don't pass it up if you can - at one of the great stop motion animations of my lifetime.

I'm sure there are little complaints or nitpicks I can have - ie as strong and believable and emotional an actor Gregory Mann is for the regular scenes, he's slightly one note as a singer for me. But they mostly pale in this giant work of a vision that is collaborative (Jim Henson productions Co produced and I'd love to know if any of this was puppeteers not just with the stop-motion 24fps), yet del Toro's voice and mind and vision is very potent and daring; that of creating a story of Disobedience in the face of the Big Paternal thing of a Fascistic leaders and so called fathers, and a fairy tale in an Iconoclastic approach (meaning as he said at a q&a it doesn't tell you to obey your parents so you'll be a good boy, it says you should be and think for yourself).

GDT's Pinocchio is a wonderful hot chocolate that deals with parental grief; why Gepetto creates Pinocchio is a prologue that makes this a film as much about him as the title character and what he has to learn. It's loaded with what we've come to love from Del Toro and his collaborators (Desplat especially), and I hope it reaches families all over the world. How young can you watch it? Uh... how young did you see the Disney one? Go a year younger!

Guillermo del Toro brings his trademark weirdness and new life to the classic tale of Pinocchio. I could not have admired the spectacular stop-motion animation anymore than I did on my first viewing. Every scene looks like a work of art in its set design and detailed characters. The story is astonishingly more expansive here as well, including the story of Gepetto's original son, Carlo, much more focus on the carnies who capture Pinocchio, and a look into the afterlife. Del Toro also tells a cautionary tale against fascism in place of the notorious boys-turning-to-donkeys scene (the joke being the fascists are a**es). While I enjoyed all of these new elements to the story and the phenomenal animation, I was left underwhelmed by the music. I think this movie is thrilling for kids (especially those 10-14 years old) and I would re-watch this again.

I like Guillermo Del Toro but his last few movies have been a bit dull. Interesting themes, beautiful to look at but like Pinocchios torso they're hollow.

This is far too long for a kids movie and seemingly for no reason. It really drags in parts. Terrible casting choice for Pinocchio. His voice is so irritating! His initial naivety and wonderment about the world he suddenly finds himself in should have been funny and whimsical. Instead I found myself hoping he'd turn back into a real puppet and shut up.

I liked the idea of updating the story but I feel like it didn't add anything. Just a lot of side characters who's storylines felt rushed or unnecessary. If this is aimed at an older audience then it would've suited an even darker take on the story and if it was purely for kids it would benefit from some more fun and excitement.

So overall pretty dull and too long. Gets a 6 for the great character design and animation but honestly not anywhere near the brilliance of what Laika has been putting out over the last ten years.

With this being the third rendition of the pinnochio story in 2022, it's not surprising to here audiences fatigued by the over-used classic storyline. Don't be fooled, this film is not like the others.

Guerillmo Del Toro leaves nothing off the table. A 2 hour runtime for a children's movie may seem long, but I assure you, the film has plenty to keep you engaged. The story juggles with themes that transcend across all generations. It has everything from the subtle crosshairs between Abusive Capitalism and Authoritarian Fascism, to the masculine conflict in the Father-Son relationship, and even just the simple recognition of the fragility of life while appreciating all of its wonderful qualities.

This is exactly the kind of story we need right now. Thank you Guillermo for what may be my favorite adaptation of the Pinocchio story ever!

A father, haunted by the death of his young son, has his wish come true, when he carves a young boy out of a tree.

I must admit I raised an eyebrow when I heard that Guillermo del Toro was doing Pinocchio, having just enjoyed his cabinet of curiosities series, I wasn't sure how this would be, truth is, it's a glorious film, truly wonderful.

It's a kids film seen through the eyes of an adult, that's the only way I can explain it, mature themes are dealt with, done in a way that audiences young and old can appreciate.

It's funny, it's incredibly moving, and as you'd expect it's also a little dark at times. Finally a film that's number one on Netflix, that deserves to be.

I loved the way Geppetto is depicted, he really is a troubled man, even hitting the bottle hard, David Bradley does an awesome job, as do Ewan McGregor and Gregory Mann.

The visuals are terrific, it's a beautiful production, it's different to the norm, but it's so impressive, again I think it would appeal to viewers young and old.

Take my advice, save it for Christmas day, it's a magical experience, one deserving of the special day.

I was expecting to like it, I wasn't expecting to be enchanted by it, it's magical, 10/10.

The beloved story of Pinocchio gets a fresh new look thanks to visionary director Guillermo del Toro.

Those of you who follow my blog might have noticed I hated the original 1940 version of the film, for various reasons.

While the 1940 version was aimed almost exclusively at a (very) young demographic, 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' is a film young and old can enjoy. Apart from being visually stunning, the story itself is much better. The character motives are better defined and this film is not as cartoonish. There are still a few moments that were indeed resembling cartoon humour, but that's fair enough - since this is a film for the entire family.

In this version, Geppetto has a 10-year old son, Carlo, who dies during an aerial bombardment. By this time the relationship between Geppetto and Carlo was well established and I sympathized with Geppetto. After years of mourning, he decided to carve a wooden doll to fill the void left by Carlo. As we all know, the puppet, Pinocchio, then comes alive with the help of a Fairy, or Sprite. The Fairy also requested a cricket named Sebastian J. Cricket to guide Pinocchio, and promised to grant him one wish in return. This plays a pivotal role towards the end.

In the original film Geppetto decided to send Pinocchio to school just minutes after he became alive. Here, Pinocchio is depicted as a naughty, spiteful 'kid' who lacks discipline, and it is recommended that Geppetto send him to school. This is much more realistic, and makes more sense.

Off course, Pinocchio decides not go to school and joins the circus after circus owner Count Volpe made false promises to him. Count Volpe also serves as the film's main antagonist. What follows is a coming of age journey filled with fun and adventure, tears and laughter, and above all, a very powerful message.

I must be honest, I didn't really like the Pinocchio character, but his unruly behaviour was essential for character development, and a heartfelt finale.

4* out of 10*

After watching GDT's latest work "Pinocchio" I went online to see if people were as disappointed as I was. Surprisingly, I couldn't find a single professional review that didn't applaud the film as a wonderful masterpiece. If movie critics don't have the balls to say it, I will: GDT has lost his mojo. What started to show in the mediocre and over-hyped Shape of Water and became even more apparent in the over-long and lacklustre Nightmare Alley is obvious after Pinocchio: GDT is not a very talented storyteller - and subtlety is NOT his strong suit. None of the two mentioned earlier films caught me on an emotional level and Pinocchio also completely failed to do so. It felt a bit like it's main character: wooden and without a true heart.

The film might look brilliant on a technical level but even the optical surface lacks heart. I was surprised that supposedly this was all stop-motion, because it felt like CGI all the way. I don't know what it was exactly but the film simply looks too perfect. The characters and scenery never come across like puppets, everything feels animated. Even if they put in years of handy work, I am sure they glossed over all the frames digitally and enhanced the images.

The first twenty minutes of the film were great and showed GDT's potential. However, as soon as Pinocchio showed up, it all went down the drain. If the film's biggest weakness is its main character, you have a problem. I did not like the design and looks of Pinocchio, at all. He looks creepy. Plus, the dude is a completely obnoxious jack-ass who is super-annoying. His voice was particularly bothersome. How are we supposed to root for him? I knew it was over when he started to sing his first song and my ears started bleeding. That song made absolutely no sense. Pino knows perfect English and knows all the words, until he doesn't when the song need him to.

Why was this a musical anyway? Every single song was terrible and the lyrics were so bad. The music added nothing to the narrative but catapulted me right out of the film, as I had to resist the urge to fast forward whenever they started singing.

The film generally drags a lot and could and should have easily been cut about 30 minutes. It struggles to find its tone and therefore its audience. Is it aimed at children? Too dark and all over the place. At adults? Not really dark and emotional enough and too childish.

Another major flaw is the over-bloated, weak script. The story is messy and all over the place. GDT shoves so many narrative threads and sceneries into the film that it completely loses fo-cus and fails to tell a cohesive story. There is the church theme, the carnival, the war camp (?), the Mussolini thread, the fish monster part, the other-world-hell narrative - it's just too much. All these disjointed scenes sure try to bring across a message. And they do so VERY heavy-handed. As I said, subtlety is not GDT strong suit. For example, we all know that war is horrifying and fascism is evil. However, both these topics were handled way better in GDT's early (and ONLY) masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth. This time around, he just crams these things into the film without saying anything new about them. He just shows them and spells them out. The terror of Mussolini's fascist regime is never felt.

Unfortunately, everything is literally spelled out in this film. Be who you are, don't try to be someone else. Don't project your dead son into a puppet. Religion is dumb. War is terrible. Let go, don't lose yourself in grief. Immortality is worse than dying. Lying is bad but sometimes, when it gets you somewhere, it's fine (??).

One gets the impression that either, GDT doesn't truly care about his messages or he simply doesn't have the narrative capacity to convey them in a convincing manner. He kind of picks them up, looks at them, briefly shows them to us and then drops them to pick up the next shiny idea he finds on the ground. For the viewers, this is unsatisfying and left me feeling stale.

One cannot help but have the impression that GDT only truly cares about himself and showing off all he has accomplished while neglecting careful story-telling. This can best be seen by the fact, that he puts his name in front of the movie title. A thing, film-makers typically do once they are past their prime. GDT marvels in the glory of his own name and the technical flex of the animation. This hubris culminates in the casting of friggin Cate Blanchett - only to have her voice a darn monkey without a single word of dialogue.

The Scottish cricket voiced by McGregor is tasked with watching over Pinocchio and providing him moral guidance to become a good boy, which is set-up big time in the beginning. I have never seen a character fail more miserably at their quest. He does not once guide the guy or even speak to him much during the film, for that matter. In the end, he goes like "Yeah, I did my best, that's all you can ask of me." and is granted his one wish.

I did like Mr. Filch as Geppetto, though, he did a fantastic job! Swinton and Pearlman did al-right, too.

All in all, a pretty big disappointment.

This dark version of the Pinocchio story is exquisitely crafted. Del Toro's vision of a fascist Italy is richly detailed and filled with powerful imagery. The story is deeply moving as Pinocchio, voiced by David Bradley, struggles to stay true to his father Gepetto's wishes while also trying to find his path in life.

The animation style is unique for a del Toro film, blending elements from his other works to create something entirely new. The colours and visuals are stunning, giving justice to the grim world of 1940s Italy.

The characters are distinct and memorable, each brought to life with the help of excellent vocal performances. While Gepetto and Pinocchio take centre stage, their relationship is the true star of the film. The relationship between this father and son is both heart-warming and heartbreaking as Pinocchio wrestles with his conscience and emotions.

The music also adds to the atmosphere, creating an additional layer of emotion that helps bring the story together.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO is a remarkable piece of art that captures the horrors of fascism and celebrates the bond between father and son. The animation, music, and storytelling are all top-notch, making this an unforgettable cinematic experience. Highly recommended! (NOTE: Parents, take care. This might not be the most suitable movie for young children.)