Not only wasPinocchiothe worst movie inTom Hanks' career, but its failure was highlighted by the success of another movie released that same year. Hanks is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood as well as one of the most celebrated.Hanks has scored two Oscarsand another four nominations, with classic films includingSleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13,andSaving Private Ryan. However, as impressive as his filmography is, there have been some misfires in Hanks' career, but none as bad as 2022’sPinocchio.
Anotherlive-action remake of a Disney animated classic,Pinocchiohad some potential as it was a reunion between Hanks and hisForrest Gumpdirector, Robert Zemeckis. However, the shift to releasing the movie only on Disney+ was a bad sign, and the film eventually debuted with 27% onRotten Tomatoesand was met with a fairly uninterested reception from the general audience. On top of that, the movie was also quickly overshadowed by another take on the classic story that proved to be superior in just about every way.
Tom Hanks' Pinocchio Was Overshadowed By Guillermo Del Toro’s Much Better Version In 2022
Del Toro Delivered An Oscar-Winning New Take On The Classic Story
While Disney’s 2022Pinocchiowould have been a disappointing remake regardless of the other movies that came out that year, the Tom Hanks version had the poor luck of going head-to-head with the stop-motion animatedGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. The Hanks version of the movie actually had the benefit of coming out first, but much like therivalry betweenWyatt EarpandTombstone, the early release didn’t matter when comparing the quality of the two movies.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchioearned 96% onRotten Tomatoesand went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
Unlike the Disney version,Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiotook a new approach to telling the classic story. The wonderful animation was backed up by a complex and beautiful movie filled with humor, horror, and heartbreaking, exploring themes of humanity and mortality. In terms of overall reception, the two versions of Pinocchio could not have been more different. Following the overwhelmingly negative critical reaction to the Disney version,Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchioearned 96% onRotten Tomatoesand went on to winthe Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Even the design of the titular puppet is better in del Toro’s vision, with the filmmaker depicting Pinocchio as a puppet carved expertly but somewhat haphazardly by Gepetto, not out of love but out of grief. It gives the young puppet much more complexity. Meanwhile, the Disney version simply tries to bring the look of the animated character from the 1940 classic to life in live-action, and it doesn’t work. That slavish devotion to the original is a recurring issue in the Disney remake.
Why Pinocchio Is Tom Hanks' Weakest Movie
Disney’s Pinocchio Remake Misses The Point Of The Original
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiois a beautiful achievement, so it is not necessarily devastating that Disney’sPinocchiopaled in comparison. However,having the legacy as the worst movie in Tom Hanks' career is a black mark for the movie to holdand begs for a closer look at what went wrong with the project. It is easy to lumpPinocchioin with theother Disney live-action remakes, which are often criticized as largely being shot-for-shot remakes of the original movies without any new creative input. However, even by those standards,Pinocchiofalls short.
The movie does indeed stick quite closely to the original version, certainly not offering any surprises. It makes for a fairly dull viewing experience as it is just watching the original movie with the magic and charming animation removed. However,Pinocchioalso makes the mistake of remaking the original without understanding what the point of it was.
Hanks' performance inElvisthat same year earned him a Razzie Award nomination, but it is certainly more entertaining than his work inPinocchio.
There are some controversial aspects to the Disney original movie that the remake chose to remove, but they also removed the flaws in the titular character. He is no longer the mischievous young boy who lies and breaks rules, but rather a kind-hearted creation that always wants to do the right thing but is tricked or forced into doing something wrong.The problem is that learning from those mistakes is what makes Pinocchio become a real boy. Removing those aspects from the character makes the entire journey rather pointless.
When it comes to Hanks' performance in the movie, he is the type of actor who is never bad. Indeed, his lovable and warm persona works perfectly for Gepetto, but he also doesn’t add anything to the role. It is a fairly dull interpretation of the character that matches the lifelessness of the overall movie. Hanks' performance inElvisthat same year earned him a Razzie Award nomination, but it is certainly more entertaining than his work inPinocchio.
