Cinema Styles: Del Toro’s Pinocchio Celebrates Defiance
Film: Pinocchio (2022) Directors: Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson
Cast: Gregory Mann, David Bradley, Ewan Mcgregor, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Tom Kenny
How to Watch: Netflix on December 9 Runtime: 117 minutes Genre: Stop-motion Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Rating: PG
In 1883, Italian author Carlo Collodi wrote the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. Nearly 140 years later, there are more than 30 film and television adaptations of this story. This year alone has seen three film versions of Pinocchio; the third of which is a stop-motion musical fantasy directed by the legendary Guillermo del Toro. He has discussed making this project since 2008, and it has had several delays and roadblocks along the way. Teaming up with the award-winning stopmotion legend Mark Gustafson, Del Toro takes this classic tale of a lonely woodcarver named Geppetto wishing for his marionette puppet to be brought to life, and makes it his own. Based on Gris Grimly’s designs from his 2002 edition of the Pinocchio novel, this story follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world. Unlike other versions of this story, Del Toro makes the creative choice to set the story specifically in 1930’s Italy, under the rule of Benito Mussolini and the rise of the National Fascist Party.
Guillermo del Toro’s version of Pinocchio is unsurprisingly one of the darkest yet, and also a refreshing take on a familiar tale. Most children’s fairy tales and fables have overt darkness, and for the sake of merchandising and not traumatizing the children, these elements are often diluted or downright eliminated. Del Toro does the opposite, leaning into the darkness and setting up a permanent encampment there. He and his team create stunning visuals that embrace the emotional center of this story. Del Toro is a technical and creative genius, and his aptitude as a filmmaker is on full display here. The craftsmanship at work in this movie is some of the best of his career, and his interpretation of the Pinocchio story is one that emphasizes the power and importance of rebellion in the face of injustice.
Del Toro chose to set his version of this story during the rise of fascism in Italy between World War I and World War II. He wanted Pinocchio to come to life in a political environment permeated with people behaving like “obedient puppets.” He wanted his film to deviate from prior adaptations of the story, avoiding the depiction of Pinocchio as compliant and blindly obedient; the tragic tale of the domestication of a child’s soul. Del Toro saw in Pinocchio the virtue of disobedience. While many stories intended for children focus on rewarding good behavior, this film places a greater emphasis on discovering oneself and questioning authority figures in one’s life.
One of Del Toro’s primary influences as an artist is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and it comes as no surprise his version of Pinocchio has much in common with that 1818 novel. Del Toro blends the two stories together, and finds their common elements. Both stories feature an innocent creature brought to life by a father-figure, and they face the challenging task of learning about ethics, morals, love, life, and death. Del Toro has always been interested in creatures, and the ways non-humans can behave in human-like ways. He’s constantly questioning what makes us alive, and what makes us human. He’s always challenging himself and his audience.
Even though this Pinocchio shares the gothic elements with Frankenstein, it never goes so far as to terrify its younger audience. Del Toro crafted this intentionally to be his most family-friendly film yet. He wanted it to connect across generations, and teach a lesson of compassion to younger viewers. He sympathizes with the youth of today because he feels society demands too much emotional complexity from them at such a young age.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was worth the long wait. It takes Carlo Collodi’s classic fairy tale, and enhances it with fresh elements of war and death. It’s a philosophical meditation on grief, fear, and what it means to be alive. It’s made with incredible technical prowess and boundless creativity. It’s meant to challenge audiences as much as it inspires them. It will fill your heart, take your breath away, and leave you in a state of absolute awe.
Bobby Styles studied Film at UCLA, and worked as an editor and producer on several film, commercial, and music video projects in Los Angeles. He currently teaches the intermediate and advanced Video Production courses in the Multimedia & Technology Academy at Monache High School. His column appears in The Recorder every Tuesday.