Pinocchio (2022) : Review

Disney has been busy redoing several of its animated films, which you probably already know unless you've been living on another planet for the past few years. The Mouse House is making its way through its extensive back catalogue of films, from The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast to Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book, to revise, reinterpret, and repackage everything that has gone before.

You'd like to watch a live-action version of Aladdin? You can, since it was published in 2019.

More of these remakes are expected in the coming years, with everything from The Little Mermaid to Lilo and Stich currently in production. And today sees the debut of a brand-new movie called Pinocchio.

Pinocchio, a live-action adaptation of the 1940 cartoon classic of the same name, made its Disney+ debut today to coincide with "Disney+ Day." The movie centers around a wooden puppet that is given life by a fairy, just like the original, which itself is based on the Italian children's book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.

In the film, Geppetto, a reclusive woodworker, creates a boy-shaped marionette. Then, after wishing for the puppet to come to life, he learns that his desire has come true and that he has a son, whom he calls Pinocchio.

The following day, Geppetto enrolls Pinocchio in school so that he can learn how to blend in with the other kids in the community. However, the innocent and gullible Pinocchio quickly finds himself in serious difficulty after coming into contact with a number of shady characters who wish to take advantage of him.

After all, this is a review of the movie, so it would be a little odd if I didn't tell you everything I thought about it. Well, in my opinion, the movie Pinocchio is a dud even though it has excellent visuals and a few passable moments. Pinocchio is long, plodding, and very padded, and it appears that in the process of going from an animated to a live-action production, it lost both its heart and its spirit.

Before I continue, let me add that I think the original Pinocchio animated film is among the best Disney productions of the classic era. Because it was Disney's second animated film to be released (after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), it is sometimes forgotten, but if you see it again, you'll realize how excellent it is.

The original Pinocchio has four incredibly well-known melodies, many recognizable (and horrifying) characters, and excellent animation. In the 1940s version of Pinocchio, songs including "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Give a Little Whistle," "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee," and "I've Got No Strings" are all featured. These songs are still well-known today.

This movie is simply the same old story that has been told before, but with new paint and a few extraneous flourishes put in. Disney would have done better to just remove these embellishments (a song here, a character there) because they serve no purpose at all.

Pinocchio would have ended up being a shot-for-shot reproduction of the original, which would not have been good either, of course, without the extra elements. The movie would have, at the very least, gone more quickly and wouldn't have dragged on as long.

The main issue with Pinocchio is how slowly it moves and how long it takes to get rolling. Particularly the first hour is tedious and unbearably dull. Things liven up in the second half of the film when Pinocchio is transported to the enigmatic and slightly spooky Pleasure Island (more on that later), but by this time I anticipate most viewers' attention will have long since faded. It will be difficult to get youngsters to sit through the first half of the movie without moving about, so any parent who can make it happen deserves a gold star.

Sure, there are a variety of CGI creatures (such as Figaro the cat, Cleo the goldfish, Sofia the seagull, etc.) to keep kids entertained, but I'd be shocked if they stayed with this film for very long. Pinocchio begins slowly and travels down this road for a longer period of time than necessary, which is annoying.

When the plot transitions into the Pleasure Island episode, a scene in which Pinocchio is duped into visiting a shady fair, Pinocchio finally finds its footing. The entire moment is a touch unsettling, possibly darker than the original, and unquestionably the most memorable in the entire film.

Regarding the rest of the film, I will commend it for its visual because Pinocchio looks like the real deal, which is at least something that merits mentioning. Oh, and Tom Hanks, who is just as fantastic as you might anticipate since, well, he's Tom Hanks. But that's all there is. The tempo of this movie is erratic, and everything just seems like a waste of time.

Pinocchio can't even compare to the original, let alone outdo it. It's not terrible, but it's also not great.

While I have nothing against remakes, if I'm going to spend two hours watching something I've already seen, it needs to be worthwhile. Pinocchio isn't time well spent, in my opinion.

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Pinocchio : Movie Review (2022)

Pinocchio (2022) : Review

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