Pinocchio (2019 film)

Geppetto, a poor Italian carpenter at the sight of Mangiafuoco's puppet theater, decides to build a wooden puppet to tour the country and earn a living. He visits his friend and colleague Mastro Cherry to ask him for a piece of wood to be worked on. Frightened by an apparently living log, Cherry gifts it to Geppetto and he begins to build the puppet, which he decides to name "Pinocchio". During the process, Geppetto realizes that Pinocchio is alive and sentient and decides to take him as his son. Now that he has a body with which to express his freedom, Pinocchio starts running outside and returns home while Geppetto is looking for him all over the town. Geppetto's roommate, a hundred years old Talking Cricket, tries to help Pinocchio by giving him advice, but the puppet, considering him annoying, throws a hammer to shut him up.

Later, Geppetto returns to his place and finds Pinocchio with his feet burned, since he had fallen asleep near the ashes of the chimney. After having rebuilt them, he forgives Pinnochio for his actions. In order to educate him, Geppetto sells his jacket to buy Pinocchio an ABC book. The puppet, struck by this sacrifice, sets off on his first day at school. However, his good intentions are diverted by the puppet theater, for which he sells the book to buy the ticket. In the theater, the other puppets notice Pinocchio in the audience and call him to come up on stage, impatient to meet their new brother. Furious that his show went upstream, the puppeteer Mangiafuoco locks Pinocchio in his caravan and leaves the town. At night, Mangiafuoco plans to use Pinocchio as firewood to finish cooking his dinner. Pinocchio begs the puppeteer to release him in order to return home from his father, certainly worried about his non return. Sneezing with emotion, Mangiafuoco decides to let him go, choosing to burn another puppet in his place: however, Pinocchio does not accept that someone should pay for a disaster he did and accepts his punishment. Surprised by Pinocchio's action, Mangiafuoco lets him go and, pitied for Geppetto, he gives him five gold coins to give to the carpenter.

The next day, Pinocchio returns home. Along the way, he meets a fox and a cat. Attracted by the coins, they suggest that Pinocchio should try to sow them in the Field of Miracles, a place where they will sprout in a tree full of money. Pinocchio, enticed by the idea of becoming rich, Pinocchio allows himself to be accompanied by the two to the Field of Miracles which is located in the Land of Barn Owl. The three stop to eat at a tavern at Pinocchio's expense. After agreeing to resume the journey at midnight, the Cat and the Fox separate from the puppet saying they have to go to find a sick relative. Pinocchio resumes the journey alone. Ignoring the warnings of the Talking Cricket, Pinocchio ventures into the woods and has an unpleasant encounter with two hooded assassins (the Cat and the Fox in disguise). Pinocchio hides the remaining four coins in his mouth and attempts to run away, but is caught and hanged on a tree.

The puppet is rescued by a young blue-haired fairy. The next day, the Fairy calls in some doctors that consist of the Owl and the Crow as well as the Talking Cricket who each give their diagnostic. Pinocchio refuses to drink a medicine until he's scared into taking it at the prospect of dying and being put in a coffin carried by a group of undertaker rabbits. Once healed, Pinocchio is asked why he was in the forest and not at home or in school. Embarrassed, he lies but his nose lengthens with every lie he tells, until the Fairy is forced to summon a flock of woodpeckers in order to shorten his nose. The Fairy befriends Pinocchio and sends him to reunite with Geppetto.

On his way home, however, Pinocchio meets the Fox and the Cat once again who, seeing that their plan has failed, stick to the original plan and convince him to go to the Field of Miracles. Pinocchio, arrived on the spot, plants the coins and goes to get some water. In the meantime, the Fox and the Cat steal the coins and run away. Discovered the theft, Pinocchio runs to the local court to report the fact to the gorilla judge. Since justice does not favor the innocent in Barn Owl, he is sentenced to life imprisonment. Pinocchio manages to get exonerated by saying that he previously committed a crime, and he is then released.

Pinocchio returns home but, through his neighbors, discovers that Geppetto has left to go look for him everywhere and decided to continue his search overseas in North America. Pinocchio reaches the port and throws himself into the sea to find Geppetto, but is unsuccessful and shipwrecked on the Island of the Busy Bees. Fortunately for him, Pinocchio is saved by a woman, who is none other than the Blue Fairy in adult form. Pinocchio wants to become an adult as well, and the Fairy promises to turn him into a real boy if he studies and behaves well.

At school, Pinocchio makes friends with Candlewick, a naughty and disobedient boy who invites him to come along with him to Toyland, a place where children can have fun all day long without schools or adults ruining their fun. Pinocchio, initially undecided, chooses to follow him and in the end, after having spent a day of fun in Toyland, they both turn into donkeys. The Coachman sells the donkeys and Pinocchio is sold to a circus where he is forced to perform acrobatic shows. One day while noticing the Fairy in audience, he trips and cripples himself. The circus director decides to drown him in the sea and then use his skin for a drum. While in the water, the Fairy summons many fishes that nibble away Pinocchio's donkey skin, bringing him back to normal.

After getting rid of the director, the puppet begins to swim continuing his search for the father, until he's swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish. Inside the sea monster, Pinocchio first encounters a talking tuna and, to his great joy, finds his father. The two, taking advantage of the Dogfish's asthma, which forces him to sleep with his mouth open, flee from his mouth together with the tuna, which accompanies them to shore.

In search of a place to rest, Pinocchio and Geppetto find an abandoned country house. With the intention of heal his father who has gotten sick from the sea trip, Pinocchio gets hired by a farmer to earn milk for his father. Pinocchio also meets the Fox and the Cat again, now badly reduced and no longer falsely disabled, not missing the opportunity to mock them and ignore their apologies. Pinocchio continues to work and study hard to help his father until he recovers.

Later, the Fairy visits him at the farm and grants his wish. Pinocchio returns home to his father and shows him that he has become a real boy.

On 24 October 2016, it was announced that Toni Servillo was cast as Pinocchio's father Geppetto.[3] Two years later, in October 2018, it was announced that Geppetto would be played by Roberto Benigni (who had played Pinocchio in a previous adaptation directed by himself) who said “A great character, a great story, a great director: playing Geppetto directed by Matteo Garrone is one of the forms of happiness.”[7]

Nick Dudman worked on the make-up and creatures of the film.[8] Later on it was announced that Mark Coulier worked on the make-up for the film.[9]

Filming began on 18 March 2019[10] for 11 weeks in Tuscany, at Tenuta La Fratta, Lazio and Apulia.

The film was theatrically released in Italy on 19 December 2019.[11]

On 29 March 2019, the first promotional image was released.[14] The first trailer was published online on July 3, 2019.[15]

• Pinocchio on IMDb