In a small village, a lonely woodworker named Geppetto (Tom Hanks) makes a wish upon a star for his wooden puppet to be a real boy. A kind Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) answers his wish and gives life to Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) but says to him if he wishes to be a real boy he'll have to do it himself by proving himself truthful, unselfish, and brave. A cricket named Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is assigned by the Blue Fairy to be Pinocchio's conscience with the approval of the Blue Fairy, and Geppetto is ecstatic to find his wish has come true. It isn't long before Pinocchio while good natured does eventually find himself drawn to the allure of taking shortcuts and partaking in vices while Jiminy tries to keep him on the right track. While Pinocchio is drawn into a world of sinister characters, Jiminy tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. Geppetto sets off to find Pinocchio and eventually Pinocchio must try to rescue his father.

God that was a gut punch at the end! Such an interesting and unique adaptation of the old story, its so nice to see someone really put their own spin on it and retell one of these Disney movies without it feeling like a cheap, money grabbing, waste of time.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a masterpiece that defies expectations, balancing beauty and compassion with unflinching portrayals of life’s harsh realities. Released in 2022, this film boasts exceptional characters, performances, and animation, shifting seamlessly between moments of fun and adventure and somber explorations of friendship, mortality, and social rejection. Initially hesitant due to its divergence from the classic Disney adaptation, I found myself deeply moved by del Toro’s vision, which handles difficult themes with remarkable sensitivity. The film’s conclusion still resonates emotionally, solidifying its status as a five-star triumph.

"Pinocchio" (2022) is a 2022 stop-motion animated musical fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson it tells the story of Pinocchio the wooden boy with a borrowed soul. During the Great War in Italy, the carpenter Geppetto loses his son, Carlo, in an unintentional aerial bombing by Austrian forces. Geppetto remembers him by planting a pine cone at his grave and spends the next twenty years grieving. Sebastian J. Cricket, an anthropomorphic cricket, takes up home in the growing pine tree. Geppetto then chops down the tree in a drunken frenzy in order to make a new son out of its wood. He falls asleep intoxicated, leaving the puppet incomplete, and a blue Wood Sprite brings it to life, naming him Pinocchio. Geppetto later learns Pinocchio is alive, allowing him to care for the child.

ARTISTIC TRIUMPH "Pinocchio" (2022) is a 2022 stop-motion animated musical fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson it tells the story of Pinocchio the wooden boy with a borrowed soul. During the Great War in Italy, the carpenter Geppetto loses his son, Carlo, in an unintentional aerial bombing by Austrian forces. Geppetto remembers him by planting a pine cone at his grave and spends the next twenty years grieving. Sebastian J. Cricket, an anthropomorphic cricket, takes up home in the growing pine tree. Geppetto then chops down the tree in a drunken frenzy in order to make a new son out of its wood. He falls asleep intoxicated, leaving the puppet incomplete, and a blue Wood Sprite brings it to life, naming him Pinocchio. Geppetto later learns Pinocchio is alive, allowing him to care for the child.

Del Toro is such a germ of a person, he put so much love into what he works on