Pinocchio for Adults
Guillermo del Toro, creator of such amazing masterworks as The Shape of Water, has made an adaption of the Pinocchio story. I came across this by chance, and was immediately captivated.
I have a soft spot for stop-motion animation, and enjoy it when the technique is applied to stories that aren’t meant for young children. Shaun the Sheep is awesome (as is anything coming from Aardman), but look at The Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline.
And now, Pinocchio. The Disney adaption was, of course, family entertainment, with lots of singing and talking animals. Del Toro’s version has both of these, too: after all, a certain cricket plays a central role in the story. However, this new Pinocchio movie deliberately focuses on the darker sides and themes of the story. Geppetto’s loss of his son Carlo, his desire to carve a child out of the pine tree growing on Carlo’s grave, Pinocchio’s inability to die and subsequent encounters with Death … an amazing perspective on the story. Not for young children.
The music is, thankfully, of generally high quality. It serves the overall dark atmosphere whilst putting an accent of brightness here and there (Pinocchio is a joyful character after all). The cast of voice actors is well chosen. This film is a pleasure to watch.
Tags: the-nerdy-bit