 |
| Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) and Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) in "Pinocchio" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
Eighty-two years ago, Walt Disney Productions released one of their most beloved animated films with “Pinocchio,” which was based on the 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi. With beautiful animation, wonderful voice work, and heartwarming songs, it helped set the stage for the imagination for which the studio would become known for decades to come. And, despite there being countless adaptations/re-imaginings of this classic story, barely any have been able to capture the magic of the original film, with one of the very, very few exceptions being Steven Spielberg’s 2001 sci-fi drama, “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”
We now have what could be the best adaptation since the 1940 film, with Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s (the latter of whom makes his feature directorial debut) stop-motion adventure, “Pinocchio.” With vivid animation and limitless creativity, del Toro and Gustafson not only give us the best animated film of the year, but one of the year’s best films.
In Italy during WWI, carpenter Geppetto (David Bradley) loses his son, Carlo, in the middle of an aerial bombardment. In his grief, Geppetto carves a wooden boy out of a tree, who then comes to life and is named Pinocchio (Gregory Mann). Soon, Pinocchio will set out to see what the world has to offer, all while other forces seek to use him for their own purposes.
Mann is wonderful as the title character, giving Pinocchio a boundless energy as he displays his eagerness to explore his village and understand what’s outside. Meanwhile, Bradley shows the deep fatherly love that Geppetto holds towards Carlo in the film’s opening sequence, followed by the immeasurable sadness of losing a child, and then a sense of joy mixed with a protectiveness as he tries to prepare Pinocchio for a world that might have trouble accepting him. Geppetto and Pinocchio exhibit a poignant father-son relationship that develops as the film goes on, unfolding with rich emotion that you feel in each scene that they share.
The rest of the cast is just as superb. Ewen McGregor is charming and witty as Sebastian J. Cricket, an anthropomorphic cricket who acts as Pinocchio’s conscious. Christoph Waltz provides a humorous wickedness as he digs into the dastardly nature of his character, Count Volpe, a ringmaster who wants to have Pinocchio as his new attraction. Ron Perlman offers plenty of intimidation as the Podestà, a fascist government official. And, Tilda Swinton brings her distinctive voice to two characters: the Wood Sprite (this adaptation’s version of the Blue Fairy), who grants life to Pinocchio, and a chimera-like visualization of Death, with whom Pinocchio has several encounters.
The screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale presents the story from both well-known and fresh angles. We have the same basic outline, but the writing duo presents Collodi’s world in the backdrop of fascist Italy, showing new challenges for the classic characters who we’ve known for years. Using a historical context when telling a story is something that del Toro has accomplished in several of his other films, like “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and “The Shape of Water.” And, the beautiful prologue where we see Geppetto and Carlo adds a new depth to Geppetto’s character as we watch him experience a tremendous loss, a prologue that also lets us get to know Carlo and what Pinocchio will be like once we meet him, as the two have the same personality. The familiar outline and the newer material blend well to create a story that explores themes of fathers and sons, life and death, and learning about your place in the world, all in deep emotional detail.
Del Toro and Gustafson provide the film with gorgeous visuals to match the beauty of the story, presenting an endlessly imaginative adventure that shows del Toro’s talents are just as strong in animation as in live-action, while Gustafson proves to be a fine new filmmaking talent. They’re able to balance both the darkness and light that will have you go between tears and laughter, bringing you through a world where shadows may pervade, but there’s always hope to rise above them. The craft they do for the tone within this world is as great as how they present the world itself. Besides the stunning details that they bring to the settings, del Toro and Gustafson provide memorable creature designs with the Wood Sprite, the chimera-like Death, the whale that swallows Geppetto, and Sebastian J. Cricket. Accompanying everything is a magical score by Alexandre Desplat, as well as some wonderful original songs, including “My Son,” “Everything Is New to Me,” “Ciao Papa,” and “Better Tomorrows.” With all of these successful factors, this is a film that viewers of any age will take to their hearts.
Moving, witty, and fantastical, del Toro and Gustafson take a classic tale of a wooden boy who’s granted a life, and end up giving this story a new life all its own.
Grade: A
No comments:
Post a Comment