Del Toro's PINOCCHIO

I've long had a deep affection for Disney's PINOCCHIO. I feel it's a major gem in the jewel case of animated Hollywood features. I love the imagination and Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. My love when I saw PAN'S LABYRINTH is 2006. Del Toro creates such beautiful monsters in complex stories. I saw Del Toro's PINOCCHIO on Netflix. I was unprepared to be as moved as I was. I was unprepared to laugh as much as I did. I was in awe of the stop-motion animation. Such remarkable craftsmanship! In regards to stop-motion and what it is -- think of Kong in the original KING KONG from the 1930s. To fully enjoy Del Toro's PINOCCHIO one must see it as his unique vision and not compare it to Disney's version, even though the two have the same characters. Del Toro's PINOCCHIO is about love and loss, fathers and sons. In the beginning of it, we hear the narrator say "The years passed. The world moved on. But Geppetto did not."

In this version, we see how happy Geppetto is with his sweet little boy, Carlo. Carlo is in a church, gazing at his father's sculpture of the Crucifixion, when the church is bombed. It's wartime. Carlo is killed. Emotionally, Geppetto is paralyzed with grief.

Del Toro is Catholic. I am Catholic. We were both taught, as Catholics, to believe in an empty tomb. To believe in the resurrection of a savior son and his ascension into heaven. The complicated themes of resurrection, redemption and the fight against fascism are also in Del Toro's PINOCCHIO. Guillermo Del Toro has directed and co-written a beautiful piece of work. It's one of the best new features I've seen this year. Another thing I was unprepared for -- songs! In Disney's PINOCCHIO, we know there will be musical numbers. The dialogue and the tone of specific scenes lead us into the songs. Not so in Del Toro's version. The songs come up -- and they're wonderful.

I had a complicated, frayed relationship with the father when I was a little boy. I was a good kid, but I always had the feeling that he was not pleased with me the way I was. He wanted me to be like other boys on our block. When Geppetto sings "My Son" to Carlo, I was moved to tears by the tenderness of the song. Geppetto sang feelings I wished my father had expressed to me. 

Pinocchio, the "little wooden boy made of pine," is created by Geppetto during the drunken rage of his grief. Geppetto carves Pinocchio out of wood from a tree that grows over the grave of Carlo. We learn all this from the narrator, a funny and fabulous cricket named Sebastian.

There is totally delightful vocal work from Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket. Over the closing credits, McGregor, as the cricket sings, another original song. It's a bright, bouncy tune called "Better Tomorrows" and I loved it. The only drawback is Netflix cuts off part of the number because it doesn't show complete closing credits. With that said, do not be surprised if director Guillermo Del Toro gets an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category. He co-wrote the new songs in PINOCCHIO. His "My Son" and "Better Tomorrows" are both worthy of Best Song Oscar nominations.

Take a look at this short feature about the artistry in Del Toro's lovely new feature.

Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz also voice characters in Del Toro's film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.