REVIEW: ‘Pinocchio’ An Entertaining Light Adventure for Parents and Kids Alike

Like many folks from a particular generation, I grew up watching the classic animated Disney films of the past. Chief among those was, of course, Pinocchio (1940). The film was initially adapted from the 1883 Italian novel by Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of Pinocchio. The Disney animated film was a big hit, and to this day, some of the original music is still present in the promotional material. It is so interwoven into the fabric of Disney that you may not even realize it.

Now when I heard they were making a live-action film directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring the acting talents of Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, and others such as Keegan-Michael Key and Luke Evans, my interest was immediately piqued. Pinocchio (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) tells the story of a grieving father who has lost his son. The blue fairy then grants his wish fulfilled and brings his puppet to life so that he can once more have a family. Pinocchio attempts to live life as a real boy. Still, opportunity strikes for the wrong people as dishonest and unscrupulous characters descend on the puppet hoping to manipulate him into a life of performing for their own personal gain. Pinocchio must learn very quickly what kind of boy he wants to be as he travels across his town and back in this family-friendly romp of a classic story.

I won’t lie (see what I did there?); all I remember from the original film was Pinocchio’s nose growing when he lied and him wanting to be a real boy, and I thought it was the most prevalent part of the story. However, the story goes well beyond that, and I was surprised to see how much adventure one puppet could encounter on his travels. Now the burden of this film, and many of Disney’s recent live-action adaptations is the constant parallel to the original animated film that cemented its generational legacy in the history books. Often comes the question, “Is this an adaptation we need or want?” which, when you look at the current slate of Disney filmography, is an understandably fair question.

At least, in this case, Pinocchio was a pretty entertaining experience that families all over can enjoy this Disney+ Day. A lot of great visual effects work brings the story to life, bright and shiny. From Pinocchio himself to Honest John and even the great and fearsome Monstro, it all looks fantastic. As of late, there have been many questions about specific projects and their VFX, and while some sequences weren’t brilliant, most of the film was solid.

Pinocchio, in its original story, has some powerful themes at play, from the grief of Geppetto and how he holds onto his son’s memory or through his new son’s desperate need to make his father proud and validate his love as if he were a real boy, and of course one of the darker and traumatic scenes for some, pleasure island. The film mostly parallels the original animation in story and tone but never entirely goes beyond what is presented. This should surprise no one as the film is aimed at families, but it would have been fascinating to explore the deeper motivations behind these characters.

Hanks is naturally loveable as Geppetto, but the show stealer is undoubtedly Gordon-Levitt, who I had to constantly remind myself that he was voicing Jiminy Cricket. Key as Honest John was another larger-than-life performance that leaps from the screen with all the flair the role demands. Ainsworth as Pinocchio strangely had a limited dialogue, but when he does, it feels oversold and lacks character. The performance of the central star appears to be more in the cartoonish computer rendering of the character reacting to the environment around him.

In the end, Pinocchio will surely be a hit with families and will primarily be enjoyed by parents and children. It’s a Disney film, and it does what it’s advertised to do, which is to leave you entertained. However, audiences outside the target demographic will likely find this to be very surface-level and predictably average.

Pinocchio is available now exclusively on Disney+.