With live-action versions of classic animations from Aladdin to The Lion King released in recent years, we were bound to get a human version of Pinocchio sooner or later. In fact, we're getting two – Disney's is due next year, but it's been beaten to it by director Matteo Garrone. Is it possible to create a live-action human/wooden puppet hybrid that isn't frankly terrifying? If the trailer for Garrone's Pinocchio is anything to go by, the answer is no.
The trailer for the film, which is set to hit cinemas on Christmas day, reveals Garrone's take on the classic children's tale – featuring a series of CGI-laden characters (human snails, men with dog's faces – that sort of thing). Check out our guide to character design if you fancy creating some creepy characters of your own.
The trailer begins with a woodcarver crafting a wooden puppet which soon (spoiler alert) comes to life – much to his surprise. The puppet runs away to become "a real boy", finding himself in all sorts of sticky situations including being eaten by a fish and, of course, discovering that his nose grows when he tells a lie.
While there are several strange, fantasy characters present in the trailer, perhaps the most unsettlingly creepy character design belongs to Pinocchio himself. While the original hand-drawn Disney version was removed enough from reality to avoid being too disturbing, there's just something uncomfortable about a discerningly human wooden puppet. And it seems Twitter agrees:
Live action Pinocchio looks terrifying AF. My kids won’t sleep....ever.December 10, 2020
“Okay so we take the design principles of the cats movie and then we make a pinocchio movie” This is creepy as fuck https://t.co/RaM7pHOpi1December 9, 2020
this is what nightmares are made ofDecember 9, 2020
I... I don't know what to say, it was really creepy.December 9, 2020
And if you thought one creepy-looking Pinocchio film was enough, Disney recently officially announced that it is also carving its own live-action remake, and announced on Twitter (below) that it will arrive on Disney Plus next year. Here's how to get 15% off Disney Plus if you haven't signed up already.
One of Disney’s all-time classics is coming to #DisneyPlus with the new live-action retelling of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis. ✨ pic.twitter.com/44bHbFRhMeDecember 11, 2020
We will of course reserve our full judgement of Garrone's Pinocchio until we've seen the film – and let's not forget, like most fairy tales, the original story is by its very nature a tad on the dark side. A creepy, intriguing take could end up a triumph. Speaking of creepy, though, we'd only just got over Buzz Lightyear's unsettling new look before real-life Pinocchio arrived to haunt our nightmares.
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