Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio: A Faithful Yet Flawed Fairy Tale

Matteo Garrone's live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, released in Italian theaters on December 19, 2019, by 01Distribution, aims to reintroduce Carlo Collodi's classic to modern audiences. The film stars Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, Federico Ielapi as Pinocchio, Massimo Ceccherini as the Fox, Rocco Papaleo as the Cat, and Gigi Proietti as Mangiafuoco. Garrone emphasizes the father-son bond, with Benigni noting Geppetto's universal appeal. The prosthetic makeup, led by two-time Oscar winner Mark Coulier, pays homage to original illustrator Enrico Mazzanti. Despite Garrone's acclaimed previous fairy-tale work (Tale of Tales), critics find this Pinocchio visually impeccable but tonally uneven, caught between light and dark. Garrone stated he aimed for a family-friendly film true to Collodi's spirit. Benigni praised Garrone as a painterly director, comparing Pinocchio to Hamlet and Don Quixote. The film's production involved three months of daily four-hour makeup sessions for Ielapi.