The legacy of Disney’s Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket and their adventures are known to the young and old, alike. However, what only began as a story was soon to be featured in animated movies. And over time, with the progress of visual effects and CGI, the era of Disney would be revived once again with live-action remakes being produced to bring these characters to life. The latest among them is the Robert Zemeckis live-action production of Pinocchio.
Also read: Did Disney Commit a Mistake By Not Having Pinocchio in the Pinocchio Trailer?
Robert Zemeckis and His Latest Disney Contribution
The director of the latest Disney live-action remake had once made a name for himself for futuristic movies during a time when it could only be considered revolutionary. The action-adventure romcom, Romancing the Stone (1984) put him on the map while the sci-fi comedy Back to the Future (1985) catapulted him to fame. The next few decades saw incredible projects from Zemeckis such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000), The Walk (2015), Welcome to Marwen (2018), and The Witches (2020).
Clearly, Pinocchio is not Zemeckis’ first encounter with the world of CGI and live-action. However, the director does maintain a fascination with heavily inclining toward an interplay of animation than the story and character building of his film’s narrative. His perpetual fascination with Tom Hanks doesn’t pan out for this Disney project and even though the cast is infused with stellar Hollywood veterans like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cynthia Erivo, it’s only the young Benjamin Evan Ainsworth who manages to carry the film through to its inevitable end.
Also read: “Stop pretending”: Disney Fans Call Out Racists Crying Foul Over Pinocchio Blue Fairy Controversy
Early Critic Reviews of Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio
The early critic reviews of the film are in and it’s not wonderful. Despite the attempted pandering to a young target audience, the Disney live-action remake fails to capture the fascination that comes with the retelling of our childhood characters. The moralistic tale, claim critics, has been so obviously spelled out that nothing else remains to be deducted or deciphered. The mass dissatisfaction with Zemeckis’ can then only mean that Pinocchio was a lazy attempt at a cheap remake.
#Pinocchio isn't the worst Disney remake but it just might be the most forgettable and lazy one yet.
Read our review…https://t.co/gm4wiL6NGL
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 8, 2022
Even more forgettable than The Lion King remake? At this point, they might as well just stop making them. But they won’t because they love cashing in on nostalgia.
— CordycepPLR96 (@MyceteStriker96) September 8, 2022
Oh, Bobby. You were Spielberg's contemporary. What happened to you?
— Krishna G. Nadoli (@guruandsensei) September 8, 2022
We’re all watching……. Del Toro’s Pinocchio pic.twitter.com/xjUgGT61WD
— Austin (@AustinPlanet) September 8, 2022
Can't believe this is from the same dude who made like 8 perfect movies in a row once
— Here's My Number Call Me Matty (@SkelliBoiMatty) September 8, 2022
With criticism pouring in from every front, the mass opinion now seems to be shifting in favor of the widely anticipated Netflix production of Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro. Although it can hardly surpass the disappointment delivered by the current Robert Zemeckis project, one will only have to wait and see.
Pinocchio is now streaming on Disney+ and Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated film of the same name will premiere in the US on November 25, 2022, and on Netflix on December 9, 2022.
Source: Discussing Film
