Some Spoilers Ahead;
I watched Guillermo’s Pinocchio after it won the best-animated feature film at the Golden Globe and was nominated for Oscar 2023 for the best-animated feature film as well.
The movie is splendid and a darker adaption to the OG Disney’s Pinocchio. This Pinocchio has depth. He’s a wooden boy with a ‘borrowed soul’, but you feel every emotion Pinocchio portrays, sheer brilliance. This wooden boy will make you weep.
The animation of this film is surreal. 10 minutes into the movie and you forget it’s animated, every character starts feeling like a real person. It’s one of the best-animated movies I’ve watched so far. Just immaculate. The movie took more than 1000 production days and 40 animators to be made, said the production team. Pinocchio is made with a lot of love, and it shows.
Guillermo’s Pinocchio Beautifully Depicts The Bittersweet Father-Son Relationship
The dialogues of the film have touched a cord. There are so many memorable moments in the film, and the way Pinocchio and his father’s relationship is depicted is so real.
In a scene, Pinocchio’s father is angry at him because he disobeyed his dad and calls him a ‘burden’. Pinocchio was devastated by his father’s words. He then talks to his guardian angel, a cricket, who tells him, “You know, all fathers love their sons, but sometimes fathers feel despair, like everyone else. And they say things they only think they mean at the moment. But with time, they learn they never really meant it at all. And they may even call you ugly things like a burden or a coward, but inside, they love you.” This scene beautifully depicts the bittersweet relationship between a father and a child.
Guillermo’s Pinocchio Is Not Just A Typical Animated Film. It’s So Much More
Guillermo takes advantage of Pinocchio’s magical story to address many vital subjects that would have otherwise been overlooked in a typical animated movie, including war, fascism, intolerance, and religion.
There’s another scene where Pinocchio points to Jesus in a church and asks his father why Jesus is loved so much, and he is disliked and hated by the people, when the carved Jesus and Pinocchio are both made of wood. His father then tells him that people are sometimes scared of the things they don’t understand and dislike them.
That’s the beauty of the film. It’s a wooden boy making you feel so much. I’ve always been a huge admirer of Guillermo’s artistic universe. Pinocchio is just his best so far. The ending of the movie made me weep like a baby. I’ve just never seen something so pure and beautiful.
This movie will open your eyes to all the aspects of life, love, death, grief, joy, and every raw emotion in between. It is heavy and dark at times, but Pinocchio is a true testament that life is hard and can be beautiful at every stage.
My Recommendation:
Guillermo’s Pinocchio is a work of art. It’s a 10/10 for me. It’s such a feel-good, heartwarming movie which is thought-provoking as well. It will leave you with a set of questions and a teary smile.
Where Can You Watch Guillermo’s Pinocchio?
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a musical fantasy released in 2022 and is available on Netflix.