Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
In this stop-motion musical, Guillermo del Toro (Nightmare Alley) gives his take on the classic tale of the wooden puppet magically brought to life.
In 1930s Italy, where fascist dictator Benito Mussolini rules with an iron fist, carpenter Geppetto’s life is dominated by his grief over the loss of Carlo, his 10-year-old son. He finds comfort in carving a wooden puppet, which a blue wood spirit unexpectedly brings to life. Geppetto names it Pinocchio. Despite its many flaws and imperfections, the wooden child is loved unconditionally by its surrogate father. But even with the sage advice of Sebastian J Cricket and the discovery that he possesses the gift of eternal life, Pinocchio’s actions continue to be ill-judged; he is constantly swayed by unscrupulous people, including ‘Il Duce’ himself.
Guillermo Del Toro (PAN’S LABYRINTH, THE SHAPE OF WATER) is a perfect match for Collodi’s tale, never shying away from the story’s darker elements, while delivering on the themes of redemption and the power of parental love. Created with state-of-the-art stop motion animation, this is an enchanting and a magical experience. (source: British Film Institute)