Pinocchio takeaway: How is the 2022 Tom Hanks-starrer adaptation different from the 1940 film?

Pinocchio is an American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and is based on Carlo Collodi's Italian book from 1883, The Adventures of Pinocchio. The 2022 live-action version of the tale is also an adaptation of the 1940 animated film of the same name. The latest movie was released on Disney+ on Thursday, September 8, 2022.

The story revolves around the wood-carver Geppetto, who carves out a puppet boy and names it Pinocchio. The tale follows a puppet's journey after he is brought to life by a wishing star. However, it is stated that he can only become a human if he becomes brave, truthful, and unselfish.

While Tom Hanks plays Geppetto, Pinocchio is voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. Other character voices include Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Keegan Michael-Kay as Honest John, Lorraine Bracco as Sophia, and Kyanne Lamaya as Sabina.

In addition to Hanks, the cast includes Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Luke Evans as the Coachman, and Lamaya as Fabiana, among others. The 2022 version of the tale of the wooden boy successfully connected specific dots that the 1940 version missed out on.

Read on to learn more about how the recently released film differs from its predecessor.

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Pinocchio (2022) answers several questions that the 1940 film did not address

It humanises Geppetto's wants for Pinocchio

To begin with, the current version provides a background to Geppetto's obsession with the newly carved puppet. As Jiminy Cricket entered Geppetto's house cum wood workshop, he witnessed the yellow-haired wood carver working on what looked like the puppet of a young boy. Next to it is the photo frame of a boy whose attire resembles the puppet's outfit.

While Geppetto did not establish his relationship with the boy in the frame, he could be presumed to be the wood carver's son. References to Constanza, who could be presumed to be Geppetto's wife, are also introduced within the narrative.

In the absence of both Constanza and the boy from the frame, Geppetto's desperation to bring to life the puppet, Pinocchio, seems valid. The 1940 film, on the other hand, did not explore this narrative fully.

The adaptation's emotional quotient spiked after Pinocchio was brought alive by the Blue Fairy, and the film gave space for a father-son bond to develop between Pinocchio and Geppetto. This is in contrast to the 1940 film, which saw the old man send Pinocchio away to school right after he came to life.

Additional characters such as Sophia the bird, Fabiana, and her puppet Sabina also aided in connecting the dots to the storyline. So did Erivo's Blue Fairy.

When Jiminy Cricket noted that Geppetto would be Pinocchio's father, the Blue Fairy questioned,

"If Geppetto wanted a real boy, why would he carve a puppet?"

The Blue Fairy also addressed Pinocchio's query and said that the puppet boy had been given life because that's what Geppetto wished for. She also implied that Geppetto's confused feelings could be why Pinocchio was brought to life, but just not in the human form.

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Pinocchio (2022) awards its characters and storyline human qualities

Pinocchio (2022) rendered a human side to the otherwise walking-talking puppet boy - something that wasn't tried by the 1940 film. For instance, when Fabiana offered to help a captured Pinocchio escape from Stromboli, the latter refused. He reasoned that he could not trust humans anymore.

However, he felt comfortable in the presence of Sabina, Fabiana's puppet, who danced to her master's tunes. He thought she was as authentic as him. Unlike the 1940 film that vilified everyone apart from Geppetto, this adaptation provided Pinocchio with a glimmer of hope in the form of Fabiana and Sabina.

Even something as insignificant as Jiminy Cricket trying to scooch from under the door to enter Geppetto's house is noteworthy because, in the 1940 version, he slipped into the house as if he was made of elastic.

The film's conclusion, in particular, is as close to reality as any fantastical portrayal can get. Geppetto acknowledged Pinocchio's contribution after the latter saved him from Monstro the whale.

Amidst these events, Geppetto also regretted sending Pinocchio off to school despite being aware that he might not fit in. Pinocchio was kicked out of school because it was for 'normal' kids.

Geppetto, who had outgrown his entangled beliefs regarding Pinocchio, added,

"You will always be my real boy."

With an open-ended conclusion, narrator Jiminy Cricket remarked as the father and son walked towards the light,

"And since then, many stories have been told about him. People say he was transformed into an honest-to-goodness real boy. Did that actually happen? Who knows? But I do know one thing for sure. In his heart, Pinocchio is as real as any real boy could ever be."

The 1940 film, on the other hand, concluded in the typical way of Pinocchio being turned into a human.

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Pinocchio is currently streaming on Disney+.