Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

"Love will give you life."

2022 1h 57m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 3,483

AnimationFantasyAdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.

“Love will give you life.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ewan McGregor
Cricket (voice)
David Bradley
Geppetto (voice)
Gregory Mann
Pinocchio / Carlo (voice)
Burn Gorman
Priest (voice)
Ron Perlman
Podesta (voice)
John Turturro
Dottore (voice)
Finn Wolfhard
Candlewick (voice)
Cate Blanchett
Spazzatura (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Gustafson
Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Vera Brosgol
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Gustafson, shot by Frank Passingham. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ewan McGregor and David Bradley and Gregory Mann carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love will give you life.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1488589 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Gustafson directs. Frank Passingham behind the camera. Alexandre Desplat scores. Holly Klein cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2Directed by Mark Gustafson, shot by Frank Passingham. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Holly Klein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ewan McGregor and David Bradley and Gregory Mann carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Love will give you life.".
7IMDB entry: tt1488589 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "based on novel or book", "italy", "fascism", "greed".
9Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Frank Passingham
Original score: Alexandre Desplat
Editing: Holly Klein
Production design: Karla Castañeda
Makeup / hair: Charmaine Fuller
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $35,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Annie Award for Best Animated Feature
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mark Gustafson

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-12-03
★ 7/10
Set against the rise of Mussolini, this adaptation of the Collodi story draws parallels with the adventures of the eponymous puppet and the fascist's coming to power in Italy. The stop-motion animation is vibrant and simply gorgeous as the old carpenter "Geppetto" lives happily with his young son "Carlo" until the war intervenes and he is robbed of his very essence. It is whilst in the depths of his despair that he decides to carve a puppet, and imbued with life by a forest sprite - "Pinocchio" is born. Curious, mischievous, rebellious - you just know that the youngster is going to be an handful for his father and his friend the cricket. His skills at dancing draw the attention of circus master "Volpe" and soon the lad is caught in an intricate trap that causes him and his "papa" no end of trauma. This iteration blends the magical and mystical with the political and brutal in a cleverly constructed fashion. The original story of humanity is front and centre, but the failings of, and challenges to, that humanity are also presented to us as we see the best and worst of human nature displayed. It's a love story, and one of the best, and in the hands of a man who knows how to mix the dark and the light - contextually and visually - so well, we are offered an engaging and thought-provoking version of this far darker and interesting fairy tale. A big screen must, if you can - the artistry is intricate and the Desplat score compliments that well, too.
Manuel São Bento2022-12-07
★ 8/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/guillermo-del-toro-pinocchio-spoiler-free-review "Pinocchio retells the famous tale of the wooden puppet through visually lovely stop-motion animation, featuring several bold narrative changes that make this remake more human, emotional, and thematically profound than so many other adaptations. Unforgettable dialogues about loss, love, and being the best version of ourselves elevate an adventure of self-discovery. The voice cast couldn't have been better, while the (new) music manages to be both playful and lyrically rich. Guillermo del Toro simply cannot fail." Rating: B+
Chris Sawin2022-12-14
★ 8/10
Guillermo del Toro has crafted a darker yet equally emotional version of Pinocchio. It is exquisitely and intricately animated with rich textures, gorgeous lighting, and mostly welcome character reinventions. The transition to Fascist Italy fits del Toro’s vision well, but the changes remove and alter enjoyable story elements that are surely missed. Pinocchio is absolutely a contender for this year’s best-animated film, but it is a film that I hoped to adore and yet only deeply appreciate. Full review: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/12/12/guillermo-del-toros-pinocchio-review-familiar-fantasy-branches-into-wondrous-stop-motion-and-the-horrors-of-war/