Pinocchio (2022)
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A wooden puppet comes to life in a world of political turmoil and must navigate the complexities of morality and identity.
The story
Set in Fascist Italy during the interwar period, the story follows Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver, Geppetto. Geppetto, a heartbroken man who lost his son in World War I, finds himself caring for the unruly and spirited puppet. To teach the puppet discipline, Geppetto sends him to school. However, Pinocchio's journey is interrupted by a showman who takes him to a circus. As Pinocchio navigates this new world, he must grapple with his own lack of self-control and the dangers of the surrounding society while trying to find his place in a world that views him as a curiosity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Italy, woodcarver Geppetto creates a puppet from the wood of his late son's grave. The Wood Sprite brings it to life as Pinocchio, and Sebastian J. Cricket is tasked with guiding him. Geppetto, struggling with grief, tries to instill discipline in the unruly puppet. On his way to school, Pinocchio is captured by Count Volpe and taken to a circus. After a series of events, Pinocchio is declared immortal and faces the threat of being forced into military service by the Podestà. He eventually finds himself in a military training camp where he befriends Candlewick. After a series of deaths and resurrections, Pinocchio is eventually captured by Volpe and later ends up in the belly of a giant fish with Geppetto and Sebastian. Pinocchio eventually sacrifices his immortality to save Geppetto from drowning. The Wood Sprite then uses her power to make him human. Ultimately, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Sebastian, and Spazzatura live together as a family before Pinocchio decides to travel the world to find his own place in life.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guillermo del Toro; Mark Gustafson
- Writers
- Guillermo del Toro · screenplay; Patrick McHale · screenplay; Guillermo del Toro · story; Matthew Robbins · story
- Cast and characters
- Gregory Mann · Pinocchio; David Bradley · Geppetto; Ewan McGregor · Sebastian J. Cricket; Christoph Waltz · Count Volpe; Tilda Swinton · The Wood Sprite; Cate Blanchett · Spazzatura; Ron Perlman · the Podestà; Finn Wolfhard · Candlewick
- Genres
- animated; musical; dark fantasy
- Themes
- father-son relationships; moral agency; self-discovery; humanity
- Tone and mood
- dark; serious; heartfelt
- Premise and plot tags
- dark fantasy; musical; stop-motion; anti-war
- Source material / true-story basis
- Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim for its direction, writing, voice performances, animation, production design, musical numbers, and faithfulness in retaining the darkness of the source material.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 49
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · Win; BAFTA Award · Best Animated Feature · Win; Golden Globe Award · Best Animated Feature · Win; Critic's Choice Award · Best Animated Feature · Win; PGA Award · Best Animated Feature · Win
- Production trivia
- Pinocchio was the final film credited to Mark Gustafson before his death in 2024.; The film was originally announced in 2008 with a planned release in 2013 or 2014.; The character Count Volpe is a combination of Mangiafuoco and the Fox from the original story.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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