Pinocchio

Pinocchio

A wooden puppet embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
  • Stars: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Tom Hanks, Luke Evans, Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, Giuseppe Battiston, Sheila Atim, Hannah Flynn, Kyanne Lamaya, Jaquita Ta'le, Lewin Lloyd, Angus Wright, Jamie Demetriou
  • Director: Robert Zemeckis
 Comments
  • samantha210406 - 27 November 2023
    Unpopulair opinion: I REALLY liked it
    It did a lot of justice to the original, with all of it's lifelessons and originality (which was also a huge part of my childhood).

    Although people are negative on this new adaptation, I totally disagree. Actually thought it was pretty awesome. It made me cry at the end - and I also loved what they did (a little twist) with the ending.

    Although I would'nt recommend this to young kids. I think it is a movie made for somewhat older kids, young-adults and adults. I can imagine going into this with all the wrong expectations, especially (if you have) small children. It is definitely a bit too dark and scary for them, at times.

    Still, I LOVED it and would definitely watch it again sometime. Ten out of ten. Also, I little viewing tip: this whole story is very, VERY symbolic - and the metaphors therefore in it have a lot of depth (and also go very dark places. But never without meaning).

    Go see it & Enjoy!
  • neil-476 - 17 July 2023
    Listless
    Woodcarver Geppetto makes a wooden marionette named Pinocchio as a king of substitute son. A fairy brings the puppet to life and says he could become a real boy if he learns to become brave, truthful and selfless and, to that end, appoints a cricket to be his conscience. But Pinoccio is easily distracted and embarks on a series of ill-judged adventures after being influenced by various spdubious sorts.

    This entry in Disney's series of live action reimaginings of animated classics didn't even make it as far as the cinema, heading straight fir Disney+ despite having Tom Hanks in the greatly expanded role of Geppetto and, for the most part, closely following the visual style of the original (let's gloss over the Blue Fairy, shall we?).

    It never really catches fire. Despite having some memorable moments, it remains curiously uninvolving. I hate to say it, but I think part of this is due to Hanks. Geppetto is never a kind but lonely old man who has invested his love in this little wooden boy, he's always Tom Hanks playing old and quirky, all sentiment and no emotion.

    The anachronistic dialogue and nods to political correctness are annoying, the deliberate and determined failure to pay off the promise of real life is an insult to the viewer, and the substitution of Pinocchio for Geppetto's real life son (as in Del Toro's contemporaneous Pinoccio and as not in Disney's original or Collodi's novel) is beyons coincidence.

    On the positive side, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a decent hokey folksy Jiminy Cricket, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is remarkaby good as Pinocchio.
  • criticj - 17 March 2023
    Worst reboot for such a Walt Disney classic!!!
    This is, in every since of the word, the worst remake of the original classic we've grown to know! The CGI is bad, the storyline (especially with the ending), is terrible, and the characters are not true to the original Pinocchio!! Even the opening was not as great! It did have one sequence that remained original though which was for the song There are no strings on Me but with a bit of a live action twist. How much more overall can I put it other than to just say that this movie is just not for wishing upon a star and should be avoided at the very best! So please consider what you are watching and do not view this!
  • Popcorn-And-Twizzlers - 24 December 2022
    The Battle of the 2022 Pinocchios
    The Battle of the 2022 Pinocchios

    Netflix Pinocchio Director: Guillermo Del Toro

    Story By: Guillermo Del Toro, Patrick McHale, and Matthew Robbins

    Cast: Gregory Mann, David Bradley, Ewan McGregor, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Christoph Waltz

    VS

    Disney Pinocchio Director: Robert Zemeckis

    Story By: Robert Zemeckis and Chris Weitz

    Cast: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Giuseppe Battiston, Kyanne Lamaya, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, Jaquita Ta'le, Luke Evans, and Cynthia Erivo

    ** ** **

    Story & Theme Winner for me - Toro's Pinocchio The original story of Pinocchio is obviously a classic, and Zemeckis' live action adaptation was done amazingly and loosely well, heightening the adventure aspect of the story. BUT...I do feel that the themes were not as adhesive throughout due to the focus on Pinocchio's day of adventure vs his day of learning while on this adventure.

    With Toro's adaptation, I appreciated the colorful darkness of the story, especially taking time to give a story of Geppetto's son. Thematically, the film focused on the relationship between a father and a son, expectations of boyhood/being a boy, the spirit of being a child, and the consequences of childhood and adulthood intersecting.

    ** ** **

    Pacing Winner for me - Zemeckis' Pinocchio So honestly, I think both films had solid and appropriate pacing for the story they were telling. When it comes to Toro's adaptation, pacing felt a little choppy and rushed in regards to the relationship between Pinocchio and Geppetto. Some of the frustrations by Geppetto weren't fully justified based on the knowledge we had of Pinocchio, in my opinion.

    With Zemeckis' adaptation, the adventure focus gave it that extra nudge forward for me. Though pacing sort of took over thematic followthrough, it did move the character through situations to at least check off the tasks given to him by the Blue Fairy, while also being super engaging.

    ** ** **

    Character Arc Winner for me - Toro's Pinocchio As mentioned with my pick for best story and theme, Toro's adaptation put effort into the character of Pinocchio. He wasn't just a means to move the plot, he was written as, what seemed to be, a "real live boy/child." It reminded me of the most recent Child's Play remake where the film gave space to this unknowing and ignorant character to actually learn and pick up habits with help in making sense of them when possible. Even Geppetto had more purpose and range as a character than in the original.

    Zemeckis' adaptation, though loose, was loose for the engagement and adventure, not necessarily Pinocchio. From the very beginning, Pinocchio was an upstanding puppet looking to do right, and none of the situations really brought about enough tension for him to be swayed either at all or for too long. The moment that stands out most is Act Three with the Pleasure Island which I would've liked to have seen showcase a more faithful version of Pinocchio.

    ** ** **

    Creativity Winner for me - Toro's Pinocchio The setting. The backstory to Geppetto's son. The more "realistic" adaptation to the Pleasure Island climax of the original. And the overall production and storytelling medium. All things that should be admired and given due props, in my opinion.

    With Zemeckis' adaptation, I wouldn't say creative liberties were taken, which is probably because the owners of the story were also spearheading the adaptation-so why take creative liberties with their original concept, when doing it "live action" is "creative" enough...maybe??

    ** ** **

    Entertainment Factor Winner - Zemeckis' Pinocchio By default, if I were to suggest one to watch to the general public, it would be the Disney live action adaption. I chuckled more during my viewing, the visuals are great, and the focus on adventure really helps with engagement, so it's the most accessible of the two. I also loved the Pleasure Island song.

    However, for viewers looking for story and substance, I'd definitely suggest the Toro adaptation on Netflix.

    ** ** **

    Overall, my pick between the two is #TorosPinocchio which gives Pinocchio of 1940 - meets JoJo Rabbit - meets Up - meets The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

    Both are definitely interesting in their own way due to their individual creative paths, but I genuinely appreciated the depth that Toro applied to the Pinocchio story.

    Also, the score for Toro's Pinocchio sounds like quality, and Erivo's When You Wish for Disney is stunning.
  • ngwplinda - 5 December 2022
    Excellent Message To Parents & Children
    The movie has a dual message for both parents and children.

    Like Geppetto, when our children first came to us, we might have made them think we wanted somebody else, but it was them we were really wishing for.

    Sometimes, we wish our children would excel in school or life when in fact, simply having them in our lives is one of the best gifts any parent can wish for.

    In every parent-child relationship, ultimately the sheer contentment and joy of being blessed with each other in our lives would inspire us to manage our expectations of each other too; that we too will say as Geppetto would, "There isn't a single thing I would change about you..." Yes because in our eyes, our children are perfect. In spite of our many imperfections, by God's grace and in their eyes, they would say the same about us too.

    Indeed it is the deep bond and love Gepetto and Pinocchio shared that binds their hearts together. So that Pinocchio would wonder what would father say if he was here seeing the clocks being smashed at Pleasure Island. And later, after knowing he was more precious than the handmade clocks Gepetto had made and accumulated over the years that he would sell them off to raise money, went on a sail trip just to locate his precious boy, Pinocchio knew he must seek his father and let him know how sorry he was. The unintentional prodigal son had returned indeed.

    The lovely Blue Fairy said, "The most important part about being real isn't what you're made of... it's about what's in your heart". Yes the love, bravery, kindness, unselfish, perseverance, hopefulness (remember, positive thinking!) within that determines our makeup.

    As Gepetto himself said, "You honestly did try with all of your heart, and that makes you a truthful boy. And you know what else it makes you? Unselfish. And very, very brave."

    Don't miss this movie.
  • theredsky - 5 November 2022
    Pinocchio (2022) Review
    Every time I think the Disney Live Action remakes can't get any worse, they pump out something even worse then their previous attempt setting the already INCREDIBLY low bar even lower. That's what's happened here with Pinocchio. I despise this movie with every fiber of my being because it feels unfinished and this time I don't feel like I'm speaking in hyperboles. I genuinely think the movie just isn't finished. The visual effects look like they were created not even 2 months ago and sometimes look like a parody of the Spy Kids movies minus the charm. Every scene feels like the first take and that they didn't review the footage until they were in the editing room. I'm almost 100% positive that the script is a first draft as well in the sense that they tried to copy and paste some elements from the original film while also dragging the scene's out with pointless dialogue and some incredibly unfunny jokes. All of the performances here are very underwhelming. Tom Hanks clearly only agreed to be in this because he's friends with the Director and it shows in his performance. There's no life in his performance and that's the same for pretty much everyone else besides Joseph Gordon-Levitt who at least feels like he's trying to do something. There isn't anything in this film story wise that isn't done better or more swiftly done than in the original. There's an extra 20 minutes added to this film and I really struggle to understand why it was needed. Why was this film even made in the first place? Answer, I don't know to be honest. I think originally it was money but they didn't release it in theaters so. This is an absolute waste of time and I would highly recommend not watching this and staying as far away from this product as possible.
  • mickman91-1 - 18 October 2022
    Tom Hanks good. Otherwise rushed, lacking in heart and character development and moral instruction. Which makes it pretty boring
    The pacing was totally off. Not much happens for 30 minutes then rushes through not enough of the story in the other hour. It lacked much investment into the main characters and was totally devoid of moral lessons that you expect in a Disney film and any children's film for that matter. There were a few questionable reference to modern fashion e.g 'influencers' etc which will not age very well in 20 years time when technology and the world will look very different. Unliked the original pinocchio and other disney classics which are timeless and have stood the test of time and will do for longer than this and other poorly done modern remakes will. Tom Hanks was good though it has to be said. And there was a certain warmth in my heart at the very finale on Gepetto and Pinnochios reunion. But overall one of the weaker live action remakes.