Audiences will be treated to two new versions of Pinocchio later this year, but from what has been released so far, Guillermo del Toro's movie seems to be creatively richer and better than the Robert Zemeckis remake from Disney. Italian author Carlo Collodi published The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883, which has enchanted readers for 139 years and spawned numerous adaptions, the most famous being Walt Disney's 1940 animated classic. Del Toro and Zemeckis are the latest filmmakers inspired to retell the timeless story of a wooden puppet trying to become a real boy, but Guillermo del Toro's movie is aiming to tread new ground with the material.
Disney's Pinocchio is the latest animated title to get the live-action remake treatment, following in the footsteps of 2017's Beauty and the Beast and 2019's Aladdin, among many others. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, reuniting with his Forrest Gump and The Polar Express director for the Disney movie. Guillermo del Toro, meanwhile, has teamed up with Netflix for a stop-motion animated musical version of Pinocchio with an all-star cast, including Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton.
Based on the trailer, Disney's Pinocchio appears to be following the tone, style, and even design of the 1940 animation, in some instances even recreating shots like-for-like. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with a remake evoking nostalgia for the original, too often it results in a movie that has nothing new to offer (such as 2019's The Lion King). In comparison, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio movie visually looks fresh and interesting, coming from the mind of an auteur, rather than a committee. The setting and setup of del Toro's Pinocchio are very different from other versions seen before. The movie is set in 1930s Fascist Italy, and the wood that Pinocchio is made from comes from a tree growing on the grave of Geppetto's late son. Both of these elements play to Guillermo del Toro's strengths, offering a darker take that will stand completely apart from what's come before. Throw in original songs from Alexandre Desplat, and the stop-motion movie has all the ingredients to become an instant classic.
Both Zemeckis and del Toro are visionary, boundary-pushing filmmakers, but Zemeckis's recent output, such as his 2020 remake of The Witches, is a far cry from the quality of his best work. In comparison, del Toro has always followed his artistic vision, even sometimes at the expense of minimizing the mainstream value of his films. His two previous movies were nominated for Best Picture Oscars, with The Shape of Water winning in 2018. He's still at the top of his game, and while no one wants to write off Zemeckis making a comeback, remaking Disney's Pinocchio is unlikely to be the movie that does it. Tom Hanks is always worthwhile, and Disney’s Pinocchio will no doubt have a lot of charm, but it will likely come from ideas that are over 80 years old.
In most instances, Disney's steady stream of live-action remakes rarely match up to the originals and are largely forgotten after they're released. They're often so wrapped up in mirroring what's come before that the filmmaker's natural creative urges to forge new paths are suppressed by the weight of the classic movie they're copying. Audiences will have to wait till September to see if Zemeckis' Pinocchio continues this trend. However, the creative freedom that Guillermo del Toro is exhibiting in comparison to the Disney remake is surely an indication of which version will be the better Pinocchio movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment