Pinocchio: Unstrung

"He has no strings to hold him back now."

2026 1h 22m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

🍅

76%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 127🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes●50Metacritic★5.8IMDB · 1,250

HorrorFantasyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Influenced by a sinister Cricket and created by Geppetto, Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother James, one piece at a time.

“He has no strings to hold him back now.”

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Cast

Jude Evan Lloyd
Pinocchio (voice)
Cameron Bell
James
Richard Brake
Geppetto
Jessica Balmer
Mia
Jack Art Gray
Dudley
Robert Englund
Cricket (voice)
Emma Tate
Woodmother (voice)
Toni Olabanji
Trey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Writers: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, shot by Vince Knight. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andrew Scott Bell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dan Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jude Evan Lloyd and Cameron Bell and Richard Brake carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He has no strings to hold him back now.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rhys Frake-Waterfield directs. Vince Knight behind the camera. Andrew Scott Bell scores. Dan Allen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
4Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, shot by Vince Knight. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Andrew Scott Bell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dan Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jude Evan Lloyd and Cameron Bell and Richard Brake carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He has no strings to hold him back now.".
9IMDB entry: tt30887701 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "lie", "puppet", "killer doll", "dark fantasy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Vince Knight
Original score: Andrew Scott Bell
Editing: Dan Allen
Production design: Jamie Sneddon
Makeup / hair: Todd Masters
Runtime: 82 min · 1h 22m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Box office: $822,910
Return: 165% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pinocchio: Unstrung (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 50/100
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 1,250 votes
MPAA: R

Also by

Rhys Frake-Waterfield

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Sierbahnn2026-08-25
★ 7/10
There are several movies like this with Winnie the Pooh and Popeye and Mickey Muscle coming into the public domain and all being used for cheap horror schlock. This movie does work however while the others really couldn't pull through in their own right. This is just a really good horror movie. It has characters that you can engage with and an antagonist whose motives are understandable and this allows tension to be built naturally. The twist feels justified and the ending is earned and it's just a good time overall I think this is worthy recommendation.

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