Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was one of the best movies of 2022. Described as the final entry in a loose trilogy including The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro’s take on the classic children’s story updated the setting to fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini, zeroed in on grief, and refused to sugarcoat its message.
All that has led it to be considered a surprisingly dark children’s movie that leapt headfirst into conversations about death and sacrifice. We admit that when we were watching it there were moments when we wondered whether children would really enjoy such a harrowing movie – though these fears weren’t shared by del Toro.