ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Pinocchio

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – How to love change.

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Guillermo Del Toro at Pinocchio’s BFI Premiere. The screening was the day after his mother’s passing. The film is dedicated to her.

If anything is to be said of the man who has claimed the title of visionary director its that he knows how to find the visuals of love. Director Guillermo Del Toro revels in the compassion and heartfelt connection between human beings and often creatures of flight and fantasy. Guillermo Del Toro?s Pinnochio sees him tackling a father-son relationship between an aging old man and his alcohol induced creation. A puppet made of the finest Italian pine named Pinocchio (Gregory Mann).

               The aging old man is a name you might recognize, Geppetto (David Bradely) a grieving widower who after losing his son to a bomb that was being discarded now sits waiting to get his boy back. The opening scenes of the film show how much Geppetto loved his son and brings us into the brilliantly made fairy-tale version of Italy Del Toro has crafted with co-director Mark Gustafson. In the wake of Pinocchio being sculpted, a Wood Spirte grants Pinocchio life to accompany the lonely Geppeto in his grief. What ensues is a beautiful story of acceptance, finding your place in the world and the beauty of having a childlike wonder about the world. A wonder we don?t see embraced often enough. Instead, we see how Pinocchio?s unique and energetic spirit will be manipulated by the greed of power and money. Most of you are probably familiar with the fox who tricks Pinocchio into joining his carnival to bring wealth to himself. Well in this movie Del Toro pushes aside the old trope of a greedy vicious animal and gives us a mischievous human con artist for a change.

Making the humans the monsters of his fables is a trend Del Toro has continued to use in his films. His scripts revel in reversing the role of the ?other? or monster into a sympathetic protagonist or side character while indicting the wicked pathos of mankind. Along with Pinocchio?s fall to greed we?re familiar with, this Pinocchio explores how the vile desire for power might indoctrinate young aspiring minds. Pinocchio?s adventure starts in the era of World War Two where Mussolini?s fascist government controls Italy. The toxic masculinity and glorification of war is embodied by The Podesta (Ron Perlman) who upon discovering Pinocchio cannot die tries to recruit him into the elite youth army camp. Simultaneously he is being tricked by the con artist who runs the carnival Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) and Pinocchio signs a contract to perform for Volpe for eternity. Despite his singnautre being a smiley fac it seems to be legally binding and so Geppetto would have to pay 10 million lira to Count Volpe if Pinocchio doesn?t perform for him.

Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) following Geppetto (David Bradely) home.

However, it is the law that Pinocchio must go to army youth camp to serve his country. Geppetto?s spirt weakens as he is faced with sending his boy away to army camp and having to pay a giant debt to a scheming con artist. In his anger and sadness Geppetto calls Pinocchio a burden, a decision he?ll end up regretting. Pinocchio?s reference for being a burden is to be dead like Geppetto?s son Carlo?s death one and so Pinocchio decides he will no longer be a pain to Geppetto. ?He chooses to go where he has been accepted and loved, striking what he thinks is a fair deal with Volpe to tour the country with him. Geppetto wakes up to find Pinocchio gone and realizes his love for him should outweigh any burden he feels from Pinocchio. So starts his journey to find his wooden son and show him how much he values him.

Pinocchio is a wonderfully animated feature that demonstrates Del Toro?s to bring his stunning film tableaus seamlessly to the world of clay and cotton. The number of impressive locations created in the film certainly make it worthy of a production design nomination as the film creates stunning towns, cities, carnivals, and mountains each distinct in its creation and backgrounds. The cinematography also? isn?t restricted by the miniature world as Del Toro and his team pulled off some incredible long takes and angles that play with the perspective of real people while immersing us in this fairy-tale land. The music also drops us right into the emotions of these puppets as Alexandre Desplat?s loving melodies continue to show his collaborations with Del Toro are some of the best modern film scores to play the screen. It?s use in the opening and ending sequences which, I consider to be the best parts of the films stand out as the emotional focal point of the whole story. An Oscar nomination for Desplat?s work would certainly not be unfitting. His composition stands in for the heart these stop motion characters often struggle to portray thought in no fault to the animation. The detail of the humans is especially impressive with their designs emboldening their realistic features like hair, eyes and tears which flow from all whiles making them fit in this surreal world.

The vocal performances elevate these mostly simple characters both human and creature as David Bradely as Geppetto uses his unique and mature voice to help us feel the sorrows of this old worn man. Gregory Mann as Pinocchio is very impressive as his voice is used to give Pinocchio this wonderous sense of childlike fascination with the world. His singing in some of this film?s songs are also very impressive. It is a bit of musical in case you didn?t know. The rest of the cast with Ron Perlman, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard does a great job with their voice roles with a special nod to Cate Blanchett in a non-speaking role as the monkey. Its especially good that Blanchett got to show off her skills in imitating a prime ape as without words she can give a performance that never falters to convey the proper emotions. Unfornately the way some of the dialogue is written fails the actors ability to be emotionally expressive in the film. Combined with some clunky plot points the film lacks the cohesive narrative that would make it the super entertaining ride the visual provide. Even with its lack of fluid writing the film manages to have a beautifully effecting, beginning and end. One which highlights Del Toro?s belief in love and humour. The script may shove some of those ideas in at points with margining success but by the end its worth it. The final scene is easily the most nuanced and mature part of the script and really highlights love in even its most challenging forms.

Guillermo Del Toro?s Pinocchio is available in theaters on November 18 and on Netflix December 9.

Pinocchio: Coming Alive with Conscience

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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.