Never would I have thought that 2022 would be the year of Pinocchio. We recently got the live-action Disney remake of Pinocchio, Pinocchio: A True Story with Pauly Shore, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which is the one I’m reviewing. 

After his son’s death, a blue wood sprite brings to life Geppetto’s puppet Pinocchio. But the two struggle to find a place for each other as well as struggling to live in the beginning stages of Italy becoming fascist.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio isn’t a kids’ movie and he even stated this himself as he and the entire production wanted a movie that could be discussed by both adults and children. That is what makes del Toro’s Pinocchio unique as the audience can feel the heart it has behind the production. What I also especially loved were the dark themes the movie wasn’t afraid to take on. One is death and its effects on people, what it puts in their mentality, and that everyone should appreciate the time they have together while they are alive. I like that they included this theme as this can be something for children to understand and help them cope with the grim inevitability.

The movie is also visually pleasing. The aesthetic and design of the characters Blue Fairy and Death are amazing; they both look so intimidating and heavenly at the same time. I also like the details. You can get a fun moment with the animation. An example is the puppet master having a long nose to symbolize how he is always lying and how his hair looks like fox ears similar to the Honest John character in the 1940s Pinocchio. Another thing I loved is that they used stop motion for the film; it is very underrated and stop motion is rarely used due to how long it takes. This film took sixteen years to make.

I also give credit to the vocal directors that had Gregory Mann voice the character Pinocchio. He has a great range from voice acting to singing as well as sounding like an angel, which is not only adorable but also hints at how Pinocchio can be considered a guardian angel for Geppetto. My only complaint about the film is that Ewan McGregor voiced Sebastian J. Cricket but he is mostly used for comedic relief and does not really have anything else to do until the ending.

Overall, this is a great movie and I admire the creativity. I recommend watching this with the family.

I rate Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 5/5 frogs.