Pinocchio Updates The Animated Classic For The CGI Era

The live-action version of the timeless Disney animated classic
“Pinocchio” has arrived on Disney+ for Disney+ day. With a reported budget
of $150.00 million and Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis attached, this has
been a highly anticipated project.

As anyone who has seen the animated version or any of the numerous
interpretations of the original story know Geppetto (Tom Hanks) carves a
wooden puppet which he names Pinocchio which in turn comes to life after
being visited by the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo). The Blue fairy also
tasks Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with being a conscience for
Pinocchio is sent off to school by the Geppetto.

Naturally, things do not go as planned, and seeing money in a puppet without
strings, the naive Pinocchio is exploited but does make a new friend along
the way.

His adventures eventually take him to Pleasure Island which is an
amusement area for wayward individuals which is a series of dazzling CGI
enhanced effects which will capture the attention of younger viewers.

The film takes a tonal change at this point as it did become a bit less
charming and more CGI-focused as Pinocchio gets into one situation after
another and over-the-top encounter with Monstro might be a bit intense
for children and a bit overdone for fans of the classic.
Director Robert Zemeckis attempts to find a balance between charm,
nostalgia, and updating the classic, and he mostly succeeds in this
especially early in the film although some long-time fans may not
appreciate the abundance of visual FX in the end or some of the new
characters and changes.

In the end, the film hits the target the core audience and should prove
to be another hit for the studio.

4 stars out of 5.