Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this entry, I am again partnering with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies event, in which they screen a movie each week and I then write out a blog entry sharing Scriptural messages that can be found in it.
Tonight we aired the first movie in that series, last year's live- action remake of Disney's 'Pinocchio'!
(Credit for this image goes to the user Alex2424121 at the Disney wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Pinocchio_(2022_film)?file=Pinocchio_2022_official_poster.jpg)
The story is largely the same as in the classic animated film (Which in turn was based on a novel by Carlo Callodi): Kind but lonely toymaker Geppetto (Played here by Tom Hanks) builds a wooden puppet boy named Pinocchio, and his then wishing upon a star leads to the Blue Fairy bringing Pinocchio to life. The boy is determined to become real, and is told that to do so, he must choose to be "Brave, truthful, and unselfish." The Fairy then charges a hobo cricket named Jiminy (Voice of Joseph Gordon- Levitt) to act as his conscience and keep him on the right path.
However, this is easier said than done. While attempting to go to school, Pinocchio is convinced by the fox and cat con artists "Honest John" and Gideon to instead pursue a life as an actor, appearing in the puppet show of the cruel Stromboli. From there, Pinocchio eventually escapes and next winds up convinced to go to the chaotic "Paradise" Pleasure Island, but that of course proves to have a much darker side than anyone anticipated. Barely escaping that, Pinocchio sets out to sea to be reunited with Geppetto, only for both of them to have one last adventure as they are swallowed by the massive sea beast Monstro (Rather than the giant whale he was in the original, here he is a gigantic monster that resembles a cross between a whale and a kraken), and have a thrilling escape that teaches all of them what it truly means to be a real boy.
I’ll admit, this version of ‘Pinocchio’ has some problems. For
one thing, the Blue Fairy is underused, as she’s only seen during the scene
when she brings Pinocchio to life and tells him how to become a real boy. In
addition, a scene that frankly doesn’t make sense to include is, when Pinocchio
and Jiminy briefly get away from Honest John and Gideon, Pinocchio makes it to
school and goes in, but is promptly kicked out by the teacher who tells him
that school is only for real children. That I think kind of misses the point of
the original story.
All in all, though, this ‘Pinocchio’ is a nice, entertaining take on the story, and mostly faithful to the animated version it's based on. While certainly not the best of Disney's recent live- action remakes (i.e. 'Cinderella,' 'Beauty and the Beast'), it's a good watch.
It has some humor, TONS of nods to other Disney films (Especially looking at some of the special clocks in Geppetto's workshop), action, and a good amount of heart.
The environments are all unique and all look great. From the quaint Italian village Geppetto lives in, to the chaotic hedonistic theme park environment of Pleasure Island (It has kind of a "Scary clown" decor vibe that perfectly suggests both the fun to be had there, and how dangerous it really is), to the gloomy inside of Monstro's stomach, they truly built a whole world for this movie.
The songs work well too, from familiar ones like "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "I've Got No Strings," to new ones like "I Will Always Dance" and a song the Coachman sings to convince Pinocchio to go with him to Pleasure Island.
Speaking of which, Pleasure Island was as scary as it was in the animated version, though with a few changes: For instance, this version seems to let girls in as readily as boys, and rather than beer and cigars that the kids enjoyed in the animated version, here they're chugging ordinary root beer. Also, the "Rough House" from the animated version (A tent where the boys can fight each other just for the fun of it) is now "The Contempt Court," where the kids yell and write insults to each other in I suppose a nod to cyberbullying. It may be different from how it usually is, but I can see why those changes were made, and it doesn't lessen how disturbing the scene becomes when the island's true purpose is revealed.
Now for the character run- down:
Pinocchio himself is about the same as he usually is: Sweet, naive, trusting, loving, and here we see he is also pretty adaptive to changing circumstances and learning from his experiences. Oh, and in the scene near the end of the Pleasure Island sequence, a funny touch amid such a terrifying scene is that, as Pinocchio begins transforming into a donkey somewhat, his new ears and especially his tail look like they are made out of wood just like the rest of him! All in all, a pretty good rendition of such a beloved character.
Tom Hanks brings amazing warmth and tenderness to Geppetto (as he really brings to ALL his roles), as well as a little more depth than the kindly old toymaker usually has. We learn the source of his loneliness: It's implied that he'd had a wife named Constanza and a son once, but they both died some time earlier, with the son presumably dying at a very young age.
The joy he shows when he first sees Pinocchio is alive and "Almost real" is so infectious! So, too, are his panic and desperation when the little guy turns up missing. You'll find yourself so eager to see this dear old man be reunited with his honorary son.
Jiminy Cricket is as loyal and fun to watch as he always is, and we also see him struggling a lot with his responsibilities as Pinocchio's new conscience, but always sticking with it and helping Pinocchio as best he can. Joseph Gordon- Levitt gives him a perfect voice, close to the original version, but with his own touches, as well.
The assorted villains each do their thing pretty well. Honest John and Gideon are as comical as they were in the original, but they aren't used as much as they had been in the past. The scenes that they ARE used in, though, are perfect. Keegan- Michael Keys does a wonderful job as the voice of Honest John, giving him a suitably hammy, pompous voice as he leads Pinocchio astray.
The puppet master Stromboli, on the other hand, is suitably sleazy and cruel, but not quite as much of a funny, bumbling doofus as he was in the original (I miss the hilarious little whinnying sound he makes in the animated version when Pinocchio initially botches the opening of "I've Got No Strings"). A plus is that this version of Stromboli gets what he deserves by the end of the story; Very refreshing, since the original animated movie had all its assorted scoundrels getting away scot- free with their crimes.
I LOVED how this version handled the Pleasure Island Coachman (Played here by Luke Evans, who had previously played another villain in another live- action Disney remake: Gaston in 2017's 'Beauty and the Beast')! In the original version, the Coachman was almost TOO scary and sinister, to the point that one couldn't imagine even the dumbest of kids trusting him enough to go along with him.
This version, in contrast, is MUCH more charismatic and outwardly friendly at first, you could pretty easily see how he manipulates kids into trusting him enough to go along with him. Luke Evans gives a great performance that balances charm and menace (A reviewer once described him as "An evil Willy Wonka mixed with Jack Sparrow," and I'd say that description fits), and also nails the new song that the Coachman sings. As I said in last week's "Top 10 Movie Characters of 2022" entry, he was almost on that list as my favorite movie villain of 2022 before being narrowly edged out by The Prince from 'Bullet Train.'
There are a couple very fun new characters, as well. A friendly gull named Sofia provides a couple laughs and a LOT of help to the heroes over the course of the story. Another great one is a woman named Fabiana who works as one of the puppeteers for Stromboli's puppet show. She mainly uses a cute ballerina puppet, and we see that her leg is in some sort of metal brace; She thus can't dance, so she uses her ballerina puppet to let her act it out sort of vicariously. I thought that was such a nice touch. Her song "I Will Always Dance" is very pretty.
Now, for the theological meat of the matter.
Considering that 'Pinocchio' has always been a strong morality tale, it's not surprising that this movie would have a lot of faith- based messages to it.
The first, which I shared at the end of the screening, deals with general righteousness and decency. The Blue Fairy explains to Pinocchio that, in order for Pinocchio to become a real boy, he must "Prove to be brave, truthful, and unselfish...Learning to choose between right and wrong." She adds that when a boy shows these traits, "it makes his father proud."
This is quite similar to the sort of righteousness that the Lord calls us all to. We can see this in Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Acting this way, with honesty, selflessness, and courage, makes our HEAVENLY Father very proud indeed!
Another lesson along those lines is about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. While the Blue Fairy is explaining all this to Pinocchio, she explains that his conscience will help him decide right from wrong. Pinocchio asks what a conscience is, and Jiminy Cricket amusingly interjects "A conscience is a still, small voice that most people refuse to listen to, and THAT is the entire problem with the world today!"
This explanation is very similar to the leanings of the Holy Spirit on all of us. It acts as the voice of morality and righteousness to all believers, influencing them on the right, Godly way to act, and the fact that so many people do not listen to this voice and ignore this influence is indeed the main problem with the world today. Romans 8:14 says "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the Sons of God." Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 12:11-12 "When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." By listening more to the voice of the Holy Spirit in directing our actions and decisions, we can indeed make this world a much better, happier, holier place.
Last but not least, a final theological message to be taken from this version of 'Pinocchio' is on the dangers of peer pressure. As I said earlier, this version makes the Coachman much more effective at manipulating Pinocchio, including getting the other children on his carriage to pressure Pinocchio into agreeing with him. Giving in to this, of course, leads Pinocchio and the other children right into the Coachman's trap and to a horrible fate that the little puppet barely avoids. Peer pressure is a very real, dangerous thing for not just children, but adults, as well. It has led so many real- life people away from the guidance of God and into equally horrible fates, and will do so until the End of Days. The Bible has a lot to say about avoiding peer pressure. Proverbs 1:10 says "My son, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not go with them." Later in the same book, Proverbs 4:14-15 says "Don't do what the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; Don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving." It may not always be easy to go against what's popular, but when it involves standing true to your faith as a Christian and your knowledge of what's truly right, it's always worth it. Peers' attitudes can change and go out of style, but the Word of God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
So, that's about it for the live- action remake of Disney's 'Pinocchio,' a funny, exciting and heart- warming ride that teaches a lot about righteousness, following the leanings of the Holy Spirit, and avoiding peer pressure if it would lead you away from the Lord. The fleeting attention of worldly fame and destructive joys of Pleasure Island can't compare to such goodness!
Come back next week when I will be looking at the next film in this series. Until then, take care, and may God bless you all!
