We have received the first reviews “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,”Stop-motion animation is a great success. The film, co-directed by del Toro, Mark Gustafson, was 15 years in the making and features an all-star voice cast, including Ewan McGregor and Cate Blanchett as well as Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett. However, overwhelming praise for the latest take on Carlo Collodi’s classic tale centered on its visual and thematic approach.
Set in 1930s fascist Italy, “Pinocchio” separates itself from the rest (including Robert Zemeckis’ recent, disastrously received rendition) as a “family movie”That “does not shy away from dark themes of death and war,”Per Insider. Ayomikun Adekaiyero, its critic, wrote that the adaptation was “amazing”. “justifies its existence by modernizing the tale with beautiful stop-motion animation and a tear-jerking story.”Adekaiyero, on the other hand, was “disappointed by the mediocrity of the musical elements of the movie,”They were also added to the list. “secondary to the story.”
Wendy Ide Screen Daily lauded the film’s “enthralling emotional journey,”Predicting that “it should connect with both existing fans of del Toro’s distinctive vision, and older family audiences.”
Polygon’s Oli Welsh EchoedYou can see this sentiment in noting that del Toro introduced the “story to the mid-20th century,”Expand on the traditional take “to take in many of his own key motifs, especially from the horrific fairy tales ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’; Europe between the wars, the specter of Fascism, the terror of childhood, the land of the dead, and the meeting point of the monstrous, the human, and the sublime.”He continues to praise the film. “technically and artistically, one of the great works of stop motion.”
SlaShfilm‘s Hannah Shaw-Williams similarly praised “Pinocchio” for straying from the “ubiquitous Disney formula” by refusing “to talk down to children or draw a sunny curtain over the terrors of the world.” She also gave a shoutout to the film’s “real shining star”Gregory Mann, the voice actor for the title character “with a rambunctiousness and enthusiasm that’s enormously endearing and infectious.”
’s Nicholas Barber called it a “soulful stop-motion masterpiece,” “a dark but sweet horror fantasy about death, grief, and a misunderstood monster being persecuted by authoritarian forces.”He continued, “This rebellious spirit ensures that, for all of its seriousness, the film ends up as a life-affirming pleasure.”
While The Hollywood Reporter’s Leslie Felperin credits del Toro for making “his presence felt in nearly every frame” — which, Felperin notes, the director’s passionate fans will adore — she writes that “more critical, less indulgent viewers might find this self-referencing a distracting sign of grandiosity or even just laziness.”
IndieWireNominated “Pinocchio” a Critic’s Pick in a gushing review declaring it del Toro’s “best movie in a decade”And a “triumph”Stop-motion animation. Roeban Katz, del Toro and Patrick McHale were his songs. “as cheerful and catchy as they are melancholic and profound,”They were considered the weakest link by most critics.
Variety’s Guy Lodge singled out the film as “a rare children’s entertainment that isn’t afraid to perplex kids as much as it enchants them,”However, he was also a fan of the songs “immediately unmemorable.”
The film’s grounded historical approach serves as “a giant middle finger to the Disneyfication of both the original Carlo Collodi story, and of fairy tales in general,”Rafael Motamayor, critic
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”The film’s world premiere took place Oct. 15 at London Film Festival. The film premieres in theaters in November, before streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 9.
