There are minor plot spoilers in the second part of the review. Guillermo del Toro has redone Pinocchio and it’s a ride my friend, A RIDE. I couldn’t help but compare every premise and concept with the Disney cartoon I loved so much as a child. The Toro version takes it to a darker place with a focus on grief. There is also a musical theme reminiscent of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Les Misérables.”

Specifically, it makes the death of Geppetto’s son a horrifying casualty of war. Mussolini’s control of Italy is portrayed probably just as it was: a merciless ego tantrum. So, in doing this he weaves something entirely new into the story. Reminiscent of “Pan’s Labyrinth” this film uses historical realism as a backdrop. Also in both movies we find a murderous, twisted dictator pulling the strings, pun intended. Also, the movie is set apart by the outstanding and effective voice actor talents of Gregory Mann as the pine boy.

We get to know the flesh and blood son of Geppetto here, who is not the focus of the Disney film. Carlo is a wide eyed child and his father loves him, it’s clearly evident in the song “My son.” In the interest of keeping the mystery and magic of the film, I’ll stop describing that song and that scene. I do recommend it. We do see some traits in this film that can be considered horror, and so it is labeled as such. But really it is dark theater set to music. A Tim Burton aspect is appropriate to note. Grief is not new to horror. The recent smash hit “Hereditary” focused on the grief of a family and how it leads them down the dark musty hall into a forbidden form of relief. In this film, the grief is from the loss of Carlo, the real flesh and bone son of Geppetto. When he dies, Geppetto grieves. When he grieves he sees the opportunity to make a puppet out of wood. I think this puppet is the host horrifying thing of the whole film. He’s an annoying brat. I found this trait if the film to be a little bit like “Frankenstein.” In like fashion, Pinnochio is made living by the passions of the old man and of course a supernatural figure. The new “boy” is just not right. I take this metaphor to mean we should grieve for the dead but not attempt to “keep them around.”

In this film, there is a hook or lesson that says to love people exactly as they are. Unike the Disney film, that premise leaves the puppet as a puppet and Geppetto having a “pine” boy.

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