Pinocchio was a very hard to watch film for me personally and it becomes a little difficult to write about it, but “I will do my best and that’s the best anyone can do” as Sebastian J. Cricket would say.

Pinocchio is a stop-motion animation feature directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, the film is based on Carlo Collodi’s novel The adventures of Pinocchio and has been adapted several times to the screen. This last adaptation was produced by Netflix and it took 15 years to be completed. The time involved in the making of this film is something you can notice when watching: Pinocchio is full of details and subtleties that otherwise would not be possible. Those subtleties make it hard to write about. Pinocchio is perfectly made, technically and conceptually. It is complex and full of layers which is something most spectators would not expect from animation. I feel that making a film appealing to all spectators is one of the hardest things and Pinocchio is a little jewel that will remain as a classic for generations, even more than the Disney Studios one we all know.

The whole film is driven by the concept of the materials the main character is made of: wood. It is interesting to watch a Pinocchio film in stop motion, because literally all the characters are physical puppets, same as the protagonist, however there is a fine work in differentiating the human characters from the wood-made Pinocchio visually. From all the visual approaches I have seen before to this character, this is the one that resembles the most its prime material. The puppet looks rough, simple and makes you never forget that he is non-human. The whole wood material also represents conceptually the cycle of life and gives Pinocchio a direct connection with Carlo, Geppetto’s late son. Pinocchio is made from the wood of a tree Geppetto planted where the grave of Carlo is. The tree grew from a pinecone- The perfect pinecone- found by Carlo and given to his father before passing. This pinecone connects the characters of the story, gives life to Pinocchio and also becomes Sebastian J. Cricket’s home. When Geppetto makes Pinocchio, the hole to Cricket’s house remains where the boy’s heart would be, and in a way the Cricket becomes the heart of Pinocchio through the story. He accompanies him and tries to make him be a good boy as the spirit that gave Pinocchio life asked him to.

Other aspect of the film that is connected to wood is the music. Music is conceptually paired with the film by using a completely wood-instrument orchestra which gives the sound a unique quality. There is something sweet about it that makes it heartwarming and elevates the narrative constantly. The visuals feel in perfect synergy with the sound, not being too obvious but giving the film a constant mood that makes you connect with it. I could not imagine this film with a different score and I personally think that this is the best Alexandre Desplat’s work so far. Another aspect of the sound of the film that stands out to me is the voice casting. Gregory Mann who plays Pinocchio has a voice as sweet as the music that made my heart melt every time he sang. Geppetto is played by David Bradley, whose voice gives the character so many layers I was not expecting. There is something grumpy, something hurt about Geppetto. He is mourning his Son constantly. When he sings though there is also something sweet about his voice that completes the character. The voicework of Bradley is very rich and completes the design of the character perfectly. The same happens with Sebastian J. Cricket, Ewan McGregor has the perfect narrator voice. He is also recognizable immediately and one can totally connect the character with other of the actor’s performances.

The metaphor of the puppet and fascism is smart, however of all of the metaphors the film contains I found this one the weaker one. It is indeed interesting how Pinocchio being a puppet defies the standards of the fascist society he lives in, but it happens to me that the retelling of the story through fascist era feels less organic than everything else. Maybe it has to do with it distancing the film from magic and the spiritual world. It was hard to me to connect with it. It also made me feel anxious, since I was expecting for that narrative to escalate even more. The film was heartwarming and I desired deeply for it to not show more violence. It felt hard to watch how things got bad for Pinnocchio through the film. It happened a similar thing to me with most of the characters. Even though, Spazzatura the monkey, could not speak the actions and movement made me connect with him as a character too. The animation is so well made that everything becomes alive as it should and that helps you be engaged with the story the whole way.

The whole film revolves around the theme of life and death, finding your place in the world and accepting others for who they are. In other adaptations of this story in the end Pinocchio becomes flesh and blood, however in this film he stays as a wooden puppet with a soul, and it is that soul what makes him a real boy, not what is in the outside. To me this change to the narrative is the most meaningful one.

Trigger warning: Don’t watch if you are missing someone deeply right now. The film is highly emotional and could make you shed some tears, even happy ones. However I strongly recommend it, it is a stop-motion masterpiece and a new classic. Guillermo del Toro will be remembered for this film for generations and he totally deserves it.