Robert Zmeckis’ Pinocchio [Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]

It’s been about four months since the release of Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of Pinocchio and critics, for some reason(s), have not been happy with the results of Zemeckis’ magical romp about a puppet who wanted to be real. 

Critics have lambasted the film for being soulless and devoid of purpose. However, critics are not always right about the movies that they review and since the film currently rests at a rotten score of 28%. I’m here to explain why the majority of critics, in this case, are completely wrong.

Honest John

One of the greatest things about this amazing film is Keegan-Michael Key’s turn as the sinister, conniving fox. John is virtually unchanged in his motivations from the 1940. He and his mute cat friend Gideon, still want to sell Pinnochio to Stromboli for profit. 

Key adds a layer of comedic flare to the character with such fervor and whimsy. Every word out of his mouth is so quotable that he actually does a better job at it than Walter Catlett from the 1940 film. 

Moreover, the CGI of John is probably the best seen in many years. You can see every hair, fiber and feature on his face as if he were a real character filmed with 4K cameras. 

Perfect Cast

If John was the creme de la creme of the movie, we cannot forget about the rest of the wondrous cast involved in the project. Tom Hanks looks like the living embodiment of Geppetto and his sensitive performance adds a touching tone to the film. 

Moreover, Luke Evans’ devious turn as the Coachman is surprisingly good in this adaptation of the wooden puppet. I thought that his casting as the maniacal Pleasure Island runner was a little bit out of place, but after seeing the film, he fit into the role like a glove. He may not have been as sinister as the 1940 Coachman, but he still manages to come off as a threatening villain for viewers. 

Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio [Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]

Geppetto’s Deceased Son

Unlike the 1940 film, Geppetto is seen building Pinocchio in the beginning of the film sometime after his son and wife died for unknown reasons. This was a driving detail and nuance the remake added to better explain Pinocchio’s origin.

Admittedly, Del Toro’s iteration also explained that Gepetto lost a son, but the way the wood-carver made the puppet was portrayed very differently. In the animated movie, Gepetto is seen drunkenly trying to remake his son out of pine in a Frankenstein-esque montage. Knowing the motivations from both wood-carvers, Del-toro’s version somewhat saps the heart out of the creation of Pinocchio and replaces it with desperation, while Hanks portrays it with more precision, tenderness, love and care. 

Music

Alan Silvestri’s score almost never disappoints. His music mixed in with the previous legacy and songs of the 1940 film provides a gleeful and nostalgic trip back into another Disney fairy tale. Every note, rest, and crescendo proves to further the plot of the film.

What’s more important to note is the fact that the new songs are truly admirable in the movie. Tom Hanks adds some heart when he bellows “When He Was Here with Me”, about his deceased son as he builds Pinocchio and the stand out song seems to be the Coachman’s song as Luke Evans blasts his dulcet notes out with a whimsical, yet malevolent tone. 

Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio [Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]

Différent Ending Lesson

In the 1940 movie, Pinocchio is seen on a deathbed after nearly drowning when Monstro gave he and his father chase and Geppetto is seen sobbing at the loss of his son, only for the boy to be revived as a real boy after being deemed, truthful, unselfish and brave. 

In the remake, Pinocchio is seen crying over his father after they escape the evil sea monster. After one of the puppet’s tears drops on his father, probably due to some fairy magic, Geppetto comes back to life. The two get up and go towards an immaculate blue light in a cave. It’s implied that he eventually turns into a real boy, but it doesn’t matter what he is made of, but rather what is inside of him.

Many people believe that this departure from the 1940 ending misses the point of the movie, but I disagree and I think that it adds a layer of what truly being real means. Pinocchio proved himself to be real when he was truthful, brave and unselfish for going after his father. It’s obvious audiences misunderstand the moral of the story.

Moreover, it could be implied that when Geppetto and Pinocchio went into the blue light that they died after Monstro chased them, which has an even deeper meaning that Zemeckis adds to. 

Either way, this was still a solid movie.

Pinocchio is now streaming on Disney+