• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Pinocchio: Coming Alive with Conscience

September 8, 2022 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Let’s be serious. What do you really remember about Disney’s Pinocchio?

If you’re like me, your memory of some of these classic animated films is limited to a few key scenes. In fact, it’s this limited nostalgia that has allowed the House of Mouse to cash in on some of its animated properties with successful live-action remakes. (Admit it. Can you remember any other part of the original animated The Jungle Book other than Bare Necessities?)

Which brings me to Pinocchio.

Originally released in 1940, the classic was only the second feature length animated film released from Disney Inc. Remembered primarily for its colourful characters and charming songs like When You Wish Upon a Star and, to a lesser extent, I Got No Strings, there are few other aspects of the film which come to mind. Again, nostalgia gives way to actual memory. (Honestly, I even thought that the tune for An Actors Life for Me was from the theme from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.) As a result, Disney has somewhat of a blank slate from which to work with its latest live action retread, now available on Disney+. Somewhat amazingly though, it stays incredibly faithful to the original tale while delivering an entertaining and visually stunning final product.

(L-R): Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Pinocchio (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), and Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Disney’s live-action PINOCCHIO, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

For those who do not remember, Pinocchio tells the story of Gepetto (Tom Hanks), an aging woodcarver who specializes in cuckoo clocks. When he builds a puppet made from pine, he names his creation ‘Pinocchio’ and makes what he believes to be a silly wish that he might become a real boy. But, when you wish upon a star, dreams come true. Then, when the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) brings the puppet to life, Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is assigned Jiminy Cricket (a surprisingly faithful Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to be his conscience in order to help the young man make good decisions and please his father.

First and foremost, what’s most noteworthy about Pinocchio is its production design. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is surprisingly good quality, especially for film sent directly to Disney+. Featuring some gorgeous CGI work on Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio himself and elaborate set design, the finished product is lush with colour. What’s more, co-written with Chris Weitz (About a Boy), the film is surprisingly willing to engage in the darker aspects of the original (even if it pulls its punches a little for its 2022 audience).

And there are some dark stories being told here.

Again, despite what you may remember, Pinocchio has never been particularly fun film. Themes of xenophobia, child slavery and giving into temptation are all pervasive within the original film and remain fully on display here, even if some changes have been made. It’s worth noting that the original was created at the tailend of the Great Depression and released during the Second World War so that would have undoubtedly shaped the storytelling. (In fact, that realization gives new meaning to When You Wish Upon a Star…) In the live action, more empowerment is given to children, especially those under Stromboli’s reign of terror. So, parent may want to take care with younger viewers who may be frightened by some of the scenes.

Just as in the first film, this version of Pinocchio is all about character and conscience. Determined to become a ‘real boy’, Pinocchio is filled with determination to please his father by doing the right thing. However, as young people often are, he soon becomes distracted by the trappings of self-indulgence and fame. (Incidentally, in a clear reference to our social media culture, this particular version even highlights the power of being an ‘influencer’.) Pinocchio struggles to know who to listen to, especially considering that both the bad influences and Jiminy Cricket claim to tell him the truth. 

Frankly, it’s overwhelming for him.

Pinocchio (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) in Disney’s live-action PINOCCHIO, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nevertheless, Pinocchio begins to learn that true character comes from within. Rather than listening to outside voices, his desire to do the right thing needs to affect his decisions as opposed to any ease of fame. (In fact, the easier the fame and comfort comes along in Pinocchio, the more toxic and terrifying it usually is.) There are moments when he falls but he slowly begins to realize that he needs to take responsibility for making his own choices, rather than depend on his (surprisingly absentee) Cricket conscience. In this Pinocchio, its these decisions that determines whether or not one can be a ‘real’ boy, even more than the Blue Fairy herself.

Pinocchio is available on Disney+ on Thursday, September 8th, 2022.

Filed Under: Disney+, Featured, Film, Reviews, VOD Tagged With: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Chris Weitz, Cynthia Erivo, Disney, Disney+, Disney+ Day, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, luke evans, Pinocchio, Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks

Star Wars Visions: A Whole New World

September 22, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

As a Star Wars fan, I’ve grown accustomed to a certain style of storytelling. Not necessarily because I wanted to… but because I knew that that was just how things were going to be.

Disney bought Star Wars and they had a formula that they wanted to maintain.

This was most evident when Disney first purchased Lucasfilm back in 2014. While the excitement was high for fans about the return of the franchise, the fallout was swift. With the House of Mouse’s desire to control its properties, any books, video games, and comics that were released under the Star Wars label (other than the six films) were no longer considered ‘canon’ and disappeared. (Sigh. Where did you go Dark Forces?) With a single blast from their proverbial Death Star, Disney vaporized such beloved characters as Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn and more from the Star Wars universe. While some of those characters have been reintroduced over the years, fans were left angered as their favourite tales were deemed unworthy of the next generation of stories. Admittedly, there’s certainly an argument for this decision (after all, Disney couldn’t possible may all these conflicting stories work within their continuity). However, it also limited the space for any real originality to the universe.

Then, along came Star Wars: Visions.

Now available on Disney+, Star Wars: Visions is a 9-episode series of shorts produced by six different Japanese animation studios. Directed in differing styles of anime by different directors, each episode feels like a completely new and exciting interpretation of the galaxy far, far away. 

What’s most impressive though is that, with the release of these shorts, Disney has injected a breath of fresh bacta into the Star Wars tank. Unhampered by the burden of ‘canon’, these visions rely on something much more important: creativity. Like a bolt of lightning, these simple stories have energized a world which had become a little stale. (Aside from Baby Yoda, of course.) For once, Disney allowed their storytellers to develop their own… well… vision for their closely guarded universe, create unique characters and styles that showcase the talents of their artists. Though it’s safe to say that there were certain boundaries given, every short differs wildly from one another and challenges our assumptions about the Star Wars universe. 

A samurai protects a small village from a Sith Lord.

A band of youth embark on a dangerous mission to rescue their friend from Jabba the Hutt.

Two twin siblings battle to redeem (or recruit) the other.

Each individual narrative is fully enclosed with no reliance on the other episodes. That gives each storyteller the freedom to simply dip their toe into the sands of Tatooine without being burdened by larger narratives or story arcs. Most importantly though, they allow the animators to tell their stories in their own voice in their own way. From Solo to Rogue One, there are multiple stories in recent years that site Disney’s penchant to control their IP and has resulted in the firing of numerous directors. However, with Visions, the House of Mouse has turned off the targeting computer and let their animators have the freedom that they need.

And the results are stunning. 

Featuring some truly eye-popping animation, it is refreshing to see the universe stretched with its interpretations. From their use of colour and style to their philosophical conversations, every individual episode feels like a masterclass in anime storytelling. (In addition, the voice cast features some impressive talent as well, including Shang Chi‘s Simu Liu, Henry Golding, George Takei, Alison Brie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and, of course, Tamuera Morrison returning as Boba Fett.)

In this way, although not quite the restoration of what was lost, these new visions of the Star Wars universe feel like Disney has given a gift to the fans. 

And not just the animators either.

Star Wars: Visions feels like a long overdue gift to those who have been clamouring to hear their own voice represented in the Star Wars universe. Frankly, this begs the question of what could be next? Could there be Star Wars stories told from an African perspective? Indian? Middle-Eastern? The possibilities are endless… and every one of them has the potential to bridge the cultural gap in storytelling as well. No, Visions hasn’t changed the game—but it has provided an opportunity for the world to share in a property that had previously only been told from one perspective.

So, maybe something old really can be new again.

Star Wars: Visions is available on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

Filed Under: Disney+, Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Alison Brie, anime, Disney, Disney+, George Takei, Henry Golding, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Simu Liu, Star Wars, Star Wars: Visions, Tamuera Morrison

Snowden: Share Your Story

December 21, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

snowden

How much should the government know about you? How much do you value your privacy? The way you answer those questions probably influence what you think of Edward Snowden, the latest subject of Oliver Stone (whose other political figure targets include JFK and W.) Here, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Snowden, with his interview with documentarian Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald getting the ball rolling.

News aficionados may know of Snowden’s enlistment in the Army (and intent to join Special Forces) as well as his discharge; they know about his work for the CIA and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They probably know less about his relationship with Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley), or his bouts of epilepsy. Either way, Stone’s take makes for a more human Snowden, less of the polarizing idea of a person. You may agree (or not) with his decisions, but you’ll understand his persona – and his humanity.

While we often examine public figures from afar, without grace or background to who they were before they were famous, Snowden reminds us that there’s more to a story than what we see.

Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, the package includes deleted scenes, and a featurette called “Finding the Truth.” But most interesting will be the “Snowden Q&A” which puts Gordon-Levitt, Woodley, and Stone on camera – as well as Snowden himself.

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Film Tagged With: Edward Snowden, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oliver Stone, Shailene Woodley

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • More Shorts from Slamdance 2023
  • Shrinking: Laughing through Life
  • SF Radio 9.12: Behind the Walls of BABYLON
  • Infinity Pool: Drowning in Toxicity
  • GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening of 80 FOR BRADY!
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

More Shorts from Slamdance 2023

Shrinking: Laughing through Life

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

 

Loading Comments...