It was written in the premise itself. If the story is about a wooden doll that comes to life, nothing better than resorting to the animation technique stop motion to take her to the movies. In this world, what better representation is there of the Blue Fairy —or of the Spirit of the Forest in this particular case— if she is not the one raised by the artists behind the movement and gesticulation of puppets; artificial beings that, already seen on screen, convince the public that there is a heart beating under their artificial armor. Or more importantly, a human nature as beautiful or as terrible as the one harbored by the characters in the film. Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro.
For the realization of his first animated feature film, directed jointly with Mark Gustafson, del Toro twists the moral of the traditional tale of Pinocchio where, at the end of the day, a “real” child is one who obeys and behaves well. Such an idea is taken by the filmmaker from Guadalajara as a piece of trunk that, with ferocity, begins to cut, carve and shape at his whim. That this iteration of Geppetto puppets himself through anger, pain and brutality (great sequence!) is a great indicator of how the Oscar winner chooses to deviate from any scenario of purity and holiness. His adaptation is more visceral; one that least intends to make an established morality more expensive.
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To no one’s surprise, Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro structure a story of monsters with nods to the mythical creature of Frankenstein. And while audiences soon grow fond of the wooden dummy, its first few seconds onscreen certainly bear a slight smear of horror as it depicts it as a writhing, writhing, agitated entity. But no, Pinocchio does not want to scare; he is just getting familiar with his body and ability to move, at the same time that he questions what everything around him is. Thus, through his rawness and insatiable curiosity, comes the promise of a fascinating and unconventional journey, one of exploring the vicissitudes of the human world.
It doesn’t take long for the protagonist to come across an image of the crucified Christ, and playfully, his first reaction is to imitate the pose of that figure; an action diametrically opposed to looking at him devotedly, which is exactly what little Carlo, Geppetto’s tragic son, did minutes earlier in the film. And it is that Pinocchio is not a “model Italian”, but a rebellious soul; an attribute that becomes more relevant due to the context of this story, which is the political regime of Benito Mussolini, when the classic fascist slogan prevailed —in the words of a certain character from another del Toro film— of “obeying for the sake of obeying, like that, without thinking about it.” ”.
However, dissent from tyranny is only one of several issues that touches Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro. Obviously, the complex relationship between parents and children steals the spotlight, and from it comes a moving musical sequence —the one corresponding to the song ‘Ciao Papa’— where an old man tirelessly searches for his child, but also an unscrupulous man sends his young offspring to the preamble to war.
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On the other hand, the film does not skimp on reflections on life and death that will leave no one indifferent. Even so, perhaps its main problem is not satisfactorily finding a balance point within its thematic richness. For example, more could be emphasized about Pinocchio as a symbol of insurrection, added to the fact that a more forceful narrative treatment was needed regarding the issue of mortality. Or at least save a couple of deus ex machina. It does not help either that the script decided to keep the passage of the marine beast in whose bowels the reunion of Geppetto and the living puppet takes place; a sequence that (in a very personal opinion) has been anticlimactic even in previous adaptations.
Likewise, the concept of the Sebastian cricket living in Pinocchio’s torso, in the manner of his heart —not his conscience— is sensational. However, the character ends up being one more resource at the service of the comic gag, and not so much of the narration.
Already the technical and manufacturing part supposes an impeccable aspect that more than earns the astonishment of the public. hands behind Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro they make not only detailed dolls, but also beautiful landscapes and rich scenes of daily life —in an Italian town in the first half of the 20th century— where ocher and brown predominate, as opposed to the blues that characterize magic and the most there.
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It is also commendable that, in complicity with animators overloaded with talent and skill, lies the lens of Frank Passingham. That is, the same cinematographer involved in Kubo and the search for the samurai (2016) and Pirates: A Mad Adventure (2012), whose vision to resolve extraordinary camera movements also enriches this novel film of stop motion; a dynamism that goes from easily going through a circus camp to reaching the epic scale of a playful competition with a warlike background.
Now, it is better to keep an eye on the future projects of the stars of Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro. It would be very nice if these were the puppets that the award-winning director has paraded on red carpets, without a doubt. But in reality, such stars are the champions of animation, including of course those of Mexican nationality; all those who put their grain of sand from Portland and Guadalajara, and who always see a promise of life in an inanimate doll.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.