The 10 best characters, sorted by likeability
Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toro is one of Netflix’s most exciting surprises as it enters the final leg of 2022, offering a brand new perspective on the iconic tale of the wooden boy brought to life.
Del Toro’s version differs in many ways. The animation features groundbreaking uses of stop-motion, the narrative has a lively musical structure, and most importantly, the iconic characters from Pinocchio’s original story are reworked and polished for a creative approach that places the wooden boy’s story in the harrowing days of a traumatized , Italy corrupted by fascism.
9/9 Mussolini
Guillermo Del Toro does justice to the vicious person that Benito Mussolini was in real life with an amazing character satire. Even though Pinocchio touching on a few darker themes like the horrors of war and fascism, it’s still a film aimed at a younger audience, making it difficult to portray one of history’s cruelest dictators.
However, Del Toro has a brilliant idea to turn audiences away despite the limitations of making a child-friendly film. Mussolini’s sole purpose in the story is to spread hate, and he hardly speaks. His ugly facial features and blunt facial expressions make for a character no one would want to see on screen. He appears to be humiliated by Pinocchio and only becomes an indirect threat.
8/9 Count Volpe
A superb villain who consistently outwits the story’s heroes, Count Volpe embodies all the bad qualities of an alienated society corrupted by the roots of fascism. On the surface, he poses as an outspoken problem solver. However, his only goal is to exploit Pinocchio to the last penny and then dump the wooden boy when he proves no longer profitable.
He lets his greed get the better of him and organizes an ambitious performance for Mussolini himself, which ends up ruining him. Even after maneuvering Pinocchio and treating his dear companion Spazzatura horribly, he still goes after the wooden boy seeking senseless revenge, abandoning any sense of morality in the process.
pedestal
One of the antagonists of Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toro, Podesta is a ruthless fascist officer who puts politics above everything, even family. Unlike other villains in the film, his motivations are difficult to discern, almost as if he is completely blinded by the war and his duty, which ends up sapping all goodness from him.
Completely ignoring that Pinocchio is still a child, he forces the wooden boy to join the army, knowing that he would “die” many times, and forces his son to betray his values and Pinocchio with a real one shoot gun. Podesta is arguably the most insensitive character in the film, despite having the potential for a redemption arc. He’ll probably only look back at the evil person he’s become after losing everything he ever loved.
7/9 wood spirit
The forest spirit may be the most neutral character in the film, but the valuable advice she gives Pinocchio makes it easy for viewers to like her. The wood spirit and the illusory universe it offers to the narrative make Pinocchio a spooky animated film that offers an interesting insight into the emotion of death.
The forest spirit is serious and fair, although you cannot convince him to take sides. When Pinocchio decides to give up his immortality, it shows him all the pros and cons that would come with it. It also makes the boy realize that the final decision has to be made by him alone.
6/9 candle wick
Candlewick is a recurring character in almost all of them Pinocchio Adjustment that ranges from an outright delinquent to a happy, vulnerable child. in the Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toro, fans are introduced to a much more intimate version of the character. Candlewick is Podesta’s son, a troubled boy whose fascist roots and cruel perception of war gradually transforms the boy into something he doesn’t want to be.
Although still a child, Candlewick has a strong sense of morality and does not let the horrors of war corrupt his childlike innocence, largely because he excels at what he thinks is right, regardless of what his father might do says. It doesn’t do the boy any good, however, as all Candlewick wants is for Podesta to respect him. However, the boy is too kind to get carried away and eventually refuses to harm Pinocchio or any of his peers.
5/9 fun
Spazzatura is one of the vital elements that make Guillermo Del Toros Pinocchio such a great stop motion horror film. The monkey is introduced as the creepy puppeteer and trusty right-hand man of Count Volpe, but it doesn’t take viewers long to realize that Spazzatura is no villain. He’s just a lonely monkey who can’t rely on anyone but Volpe. Pinocchio sees this and the two develop a strong bond.
Spazzatura’s arc is one of the most satisfying in the film as viewers see him reluctantly join Pinocchio’s side and become a faithful companion to the end of his life, transforming into a funny and charismatic character without losing his eccentricity.
4/9 carol
Despite being the supporting character with the least screen time, appearing only in the film’s wonderful opening sequence and memoirs, Carlo encapsulates all the good things about a boy’s innocence.
Sadly, since Carlo dies so young, the only image both viewers and Geppetto get of him is that of the perfect child and son. The boy’s happiness is contagious and his joyful smile could light up the whole village, which explains how much is lost with Carlo’s death.
3/9 geppetto
Gepetto used to be an energetic and highly artistic figure in the community until his son Carlo died, taking with him all the joy in his father’s life. This leads to poor Geppetto sinking into alcoholism and disillusionment with art, unable to come to terms with the precious asset he has lost.
Geppetto has a beautiful redemption arc throughout Pinocchio, who went from being a bitter old man to someone who found a reason to live on in Pinocchio. Overcoming the loss of Carlo and learning to stop projecting his deceased son onto Pinocchio, he encourages the wooden boy to be himself. By the end of the film, Gepetto almost feels like a close friend, and fans are cheering him on to have a better life.
2/9 Sebastian J. Cricket
Ewan McGregor gives his soul in a mesmerizing voice acting performance that puts Guillermo Del Toro’s cricket at the forefront of any other Disney version. The charming and scholarly Sebastian J. Cricket is the narrator of the story and has an ambitious big heart that accepts the challenge of making Pinocchio become a good person in exchange for a wish granted by the wood spirit.
Although Sebastian is a cricket, he could arguably be the most human character in the film. Abandoning his desire to save Pinocchio, he becomes the mentor not only of the wooden boy but also of Gepetto, evolving from a mere spectator in these people’s lives to an intelligent, loyal friend.
1/9 Pinocchio
Every character in the film falls in love with Pinocchio at some point, and so do the viewers. At first, the wooden boy’s stubborn curiosity and recklessness in trusting everyone can be hard to watch at first, but it’s wonderful to see the boy confront the responsibilities he carries with him and how he changes the lives of everyone around enlightened around him.
Pinocchio’s innocence is entrancing and uplifting, all the more so when the character proves her resilience by not getting carried away by the war and, of course, the fascist ideology that swept Italy. His positivity influences characters like Spazzatura and Clandlewick to speak out against the evil forces controlling them, save Geppetto from a tragic fate, and help Makes Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro an occasionally scary but great stop motion film.
https://screenrant.com/guillermo-del-toro-pinocchio-10-best-characters-ranked-likability/ The 10 best characters, sorted by likeability
