Guillermo del Toro is one of the most awe-inspiring and visionary filmmakers working today. His imagination knows no bounds, and seeing images, his 2022 reinvention of the classic story of Pinocchio, the beloved wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy, looks absolutely spellbinding and expertly crafted. It also looks darker and more faithful the original 1885 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio than many of the past ones.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio seems to add some history and bleak mythology into the mix to make it a more involving and deeper vision than just a simple tale of a puppet’s journey to becoming a real boy.
The meticulous stop-motion animation and star-studded voice work by such gifted luminaries as Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, David Bradley, Tim Blake Nelson, and Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, definitely adds to my desire to see it.
The supplements for the new release from the always reliable Criterion sound very informative. They consist of a new documentary featuring del Toro, Mark Gustafson, and cast and crew, including the film’s puppet creators, production designers, and animation supervisor; new conversation between del Toro and film critic Farran Smith Nehme; conversation among del Toro, Gustafson, and author Neil Gaiman, and much more!
If you’re a lover of all things del Toro and his amazing films, or at least the legacy of Pinocchio, then adding this to your collection is obviously a no brainer.
Other releases:
The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse (Criterion): A new collection of five beloved and whimsical French films centered around the playful and emotional exploits of children and animals.
Clue (Shout Factory 4K UHD): A new collector’s edition of the classic 1985 comedy mystery based on the popular “whodunit” board game.
The Wailing 4K UHD: A deadly and mysterious sickness spreads throughout Korea and a policeman is drawn into the epidemic as he tries to find the cure and save his daughter in this highly disturbing but acclaimed 2016 horror epic.
Pollock (Sony Pictures): Ed Harris directed and stars in this Oscar-winning biopic as Jackson Pollack, the legendary American painter who achieved fame and notoriety, but his temper and insecurity threatens his life, work, and marriage to fellow painter Lee Krasner.
