Pinocchio (2019 film)

Geppetto, a poor Italian carpenter - upon seeing the puppet theater run by Mangiafuoco - decides to build a wooden puppet to tour the country and earn him a living. He visits his friend and colleague Mastro Ciliegia to ask him for a piece of wood to work on. Frightened by a living log, Ciliegia gifts it to Geppetto who 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, Pinocchio starts running outside and returns home while Geppetto is still looking for him in town. Geppetto's roommate, a hundred-year 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 to rebuild them, he forgives Pinocchio for his actions. In order to educate him, Geppetto sells his jacket to buy Pinocchio an ABC book. Struck by this sacrifice, Pinocchio 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 a 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 production went upstream, the puppeteer Mangiafuoco locks Pinocchio in his caravan and leaves the town. At night, Mangiafuoco plans to use Pinocchio as firewood in order to cook 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 out of pity, gives him five gold coins to give to Geppetto.

The next day, Pinocchio returns home. Along the way, he meets a fox and a cat, both pretending to be disabled. Attracted by the coins, they suggest that he should try to sow them in the Field of Miracles, a place where they will sprout in a tree full of money. 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 hung from a tree.

Pinocchio is rescued by a young blue-haired fairy, who lives nearby. The next day, the Fairy calls in some doctors, an Owl, a Crow and the Talking Cricket, who each give their diagnostic. Pinocchio refuses to drink a medicine until he is 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 becomes bigger and bigger with each 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 off to be reunited with Geppetto.

However, on his way home, Pinocchio again meets the Fox and the Cat who, seeing that their plan has failed, stick to the original plan and convince him to go to the Field of Miracles. Upon arriving to the Field, Pinocchio plants the coins and goes to get some water. In the meantime, the Fox and the Cat steal the coins and run away. Discovering 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 sentence. Pinocchio manages to get exonerated by saying that he previously committed a crime, making him guilty, and thus 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, still thinking that he is in the hands of Mangiafuoco. Pinocchio reaches the port and dives 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 express his wish to become an adult as well, and the Fairy promises to turn him into a real boy if he studies and behaves well.

Pinocchio goes to school and ends up becoming the most studious boy in his class so his fairy will fulfill his dream of being a true boy. But he befriends Lucignolo, a naughty and disobedient boy, who invites him to come to his party in the Land of Toys, a place where children can have fun all day long without schools or adults. Initially undecided, Pinocchio chooses to follow him, but after a long day playing in the Land of Toys, he wakes up with donkey ears. Pinocchio finds Lucignolo and sees that he has the same problem — they are slowly turning into donkeys. The Coachman sells the kid-donkeys, and Pinocchio is sold to a circus where he is forced to perform acrobatics. One day, while noticing the Fairy in the audience, Pinocchio 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, Pinocchio swims in search for his father and is swallowed by the Terrible Dogfish, a gigantic and ravenous sea monster. Pinocchio finds Geppetto, alive, inside the monster. Taking advantage of the Dogfish's asthma, which forces him to sleep with his mouth open, the two flee from his mouth and reach the shore.

In search of a place to rest, Pinocchio and Geppetto find an abandoned country house. With the intention of healing his father, who has gotten sick from the sea trip, Pinocchio is hired by a farmer to earn milk for Geppetto. Pinocchio continues to work and study hard, as well as help Geppetto while the latter recovers. Later, the Fairy visits Pinocchio at the farm and grants his wish. Pinocchio returns home and shows Geppetto that he has become a real boy.

On 24 October 2016, it was announced that Toni Servillo was cast as Pinocchio's father Geppetto.[4] 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.”[19]

Nick Dudman was initially announced as working on the film, but later dropped out.[20]Mark Coulier created the character design, prosthetics and special make-up for the film.[21]

Filming began on 18 March 2019[22] for 11 weeks in Tuscany, at Tenuta La Fratta, Lazio and Apulia.

The film was theatrically released in Italy on 19 December 2019.[23]

On 29 March 2019, the first promotional image was released.[33] The first trailer was published online on July 3, 2019.[34]

• Pinocchio at IMDb