Pinocchio par Guillermo del Toro

Pinocchio has become very trendy in recent years, and every director has had a different approach – the Italian version with its distinctive make-up effects and quite violent scenes, or the live-action remake of the classic Disney film. Guillermo del Toro, the master of visually captivating and macabre stories, now comes forward, and I was quite curious to see his first animated and musical film, as I have him pegged in completely different genre territory. By del Toro's standards, it's a fairly low-key piece, but at the same time it's not entirely suitable for younger audiences who will probably get very bored at certain points during. Apart from the beautiful stop motion animation, the film is particularly interesting for its different take on the story of the animated puppet who wishes to become a boy – whether it was the issue of losing a loved one, the perception of world wars and the view of political and religious issues (not only) through child characters, or depictions of the afterlife. All in all, a weaker but still four stars for me. (13/12/2022)

Nice fairy tale, just a shame in a story we all know by now and it's had three adaptations in a decade. While Del Toro's vision is the most interesting and his stop motion animation is magical, I still can't shake the feeling that I'd rather see this adaptation in another film and ideally aimed at adults. Due to the predictability, the film loses its entertainment factor. I prefer action-oriented fairy tales with humor, this is closer to drama and I can't really imagine kids being entertained by it. The funniest part is the one with the Nazis and thankfully there aren't many songs. All in all, I wonder where the Netflix and remake haters are hiding now. 65%. (12/12/2022)

If this film doesn't become a classic, I don't understand anything anymore. Guillermo del Toro has made his dream Pinocchio into a second Faun's Labyrinth, so it's still a fairy tale, but as grown-up as it gets. The main wooden hero is actually a cute Frankenstein monster, the plot has shifted to Mussolini's Italy, there are more characters, stories, context, as well as utterly disarming mythical creatures from forest spirits to fairies of life and death to melting rabbits. It looks beautiful and I don't think I'll see anything more beautiful to look at for a long time, but most of all it has heart, it can entertain and move like few things. In addition to del Toro's imagination, it is also a credit to Alexandre Desplat's music and the stellar cast. I would love to see it in the cinema! (10/12/2022)

Fascism, war, propaganda, Christianity, loss, growing up, death, problems with fathers… And yet, it’s mainly for kids. Sophisticated and stylish, the best version of a classic – in the first half, not all the way. Given all it addresses, much of it is left to fizzle out in the last act. Nevertheless, the execution and visual concept are breathtaking. (10/12/2022)