“It's not a 'Pinocchio' for all the family,” he said of his story, which is set in 1930s Italy. “Of course. 'Pinocchio' during the rise of Mussolini, do the math. A puppet during the rise of fascism, yes, it is [political].”
The original Carlo Collodi story is about Pinocchio being taught to conform to society's rules, and it feels like if you stretch that idea beyond a certain point, it can mutate into fascism. Collodi's tale was very politically loaded.
During the conversation, the subject of religion also came up. Del Toro, who described himself as a “lapsed Catholic,” explained how the imagery of Catholicism worked its way into his latest animated film. “Pinocchio is like Jesus,” del Toro said, according to IndieWire.
What is the point of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio?
The Pan's Labyrinth director delivers a visually dazzling, and decidedly grownup, take on the puppet come to life in this Golden Globe-winning movie on Netflix.
In his seminal 1975 essay, “Le Voci di un'Italia Bambina,” Rosa suggested that Pinocchio's central political theme was, in fact, the acceptance rather than the rejection of the compromises that go with nation-building: “It's a universal tale, destined to repeat itself for every person and for every nation.
The overriding theme for del Toro is the unfairness of children being bossed about by adults. In Collodi's novel, Pinocchio is punished every time he is disobedient, and ultimately learns to do what he is told.
Parents need to know that Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is darker and may be potentially scarier for some kids than other adaptations of the classic tale. It's set between World Wars in fascist Italy, and both kids and adults are killed by bombs. A character dies but is repeatedly reincarnated.
By being darker than Disney's Pinocchio, Guillermo del Toro's film explored themes, emotions, and character nuances that a more lighthearted film might have avoided. It also keeps in line with the original adventures of Pinocchio, which were dark and grew even more so over time.
Netflix attempts to make the subject matter crystal clear. Before the film even plays, there's a disclaimer: "PG; Dark thematic material, violence, peril, some rude humor, and brief smoking. Parental Guidance Suggested."
Del Toro was raised Catholic. In a 2009 interview with Charlie Rose, he described his upbringing as excessively "morbid", saying, "I mercifully lapsed as a Catholic... but as Buñuel used to say, 'I'm an atheist, thank God.'"
“In the original story, the puppet is a depiction of sinful bondage – dependence on external control. Pinocchio displays his rebellion to authority (and God) immediately at his creation, the very moment he can see, speak and walk. This is the doctrine of original sin.
Indeed, it seems almost obvious that Collodi directly related his adventures to the stories of Jesus and the Bible. However, there is no evidence from Collodi himself that these were his intentions.
The irony in Pinocchio's journey lies in the fact that the very mistakes and mishaps he experiences ultimately teach him the essential life lessons needed to become a real boy, emphasizing the importance of learning from one's own experiences.
The Pleasure Island sequence was pretty disturbing for my kids (even more so than the original cartoon). The whale/sea monster wasn't realistic enough to be too scary. There's surprisingly a lot of swearing in this film, my kids didn't notice it though.
Is Guillermo del Toro Pinocchio better than Disney?
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, on the other hand, is full to the brim with energy, charm and color. It's almost ironic, as this version of the film, which is actually animated, has so much more personality and feels so much more real than the Disney live-action version.
The moral behind Pleasure Island (or Il Paese dei Balocchi, as it was called in the original) is that little boys who scoff at education and moral codes set forth by their parents, preachers and authority figures and will engage in "jackass" behavior instead, such as fighting, vandalism and underage drinking are often ...
Del Toro's version of Pinocchio is closest to a creature than a boy, doing justice to the mysticism surrounding the wooden boy's lore. In Disney's version, Pinocchio is left hanging between life and death after a monster attack, saved at the last minute by the Blue Fairy, who turns him into a real boy.
The main villain of Guillermo del Toro's 2022 Pinocchio movie is Count Volpe, a kidnaper and puppeteer, but Volpe is actually a combination of two villains from the Disney story.
Worst reboot for such a Walt Disney classic!!! This is, in every since of the word, the worst remake of the original classic we've grown to know! The CGI is bad, the storyline (especially with the ending), is terrible, and the characters are not true to the original Pinocchio!! Even the opening was not as great!
While Pinocchio is viewed as a literary construct with contraindications of autism, it will be argued that his autistic traits are sufficient to suggest the possibility that Collodi had a partial intuition of the syndrome 60 years before it was identified by Leo Kanner.
Pinocchio's problem is that, when we tell a lie, we often have to tell further lies to cover up the original lie. These additional lies can easily become increasingly complex, and morally more reprehensible. In this way, a small lie can, if you are challenged further, stray into far bigger and more serious lies.
