A tale of two Pinocchios: How Guillermo del Toro and Robert Zemeckis' takes differ

The story is set in late 19th century Italy and is about a wooden puppet carved by a woodcarver called Geppetto. The puppet magically comes to life as a mischievous and impudent boy but yearns to become a real human boy. For Geppetto, he fills the void left by his dead son. In the Disney movie, his pointy nose enlarges when he lies. 
 

Two new Pinocchio movies are due for release this year. While they are about the same character, the visions behind them could not be more different. While one is directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, and does not come under the Disney umbrella (the character has been in public domain since 1940), the other is a live-action remake by Robert Zemeckis. How do the two takes differ?
 

Disney has been on a mission to give the live-action treatment to many animated classics. And Zemeckis' 'Pinocchio' is the latest one in a long, continuing line. Guillermo del Toro's take combines stop motion animation with 3D animation
 

Guillermo del Toro has always been attracted to those who do not belong. His movies, which can be characterised as fairy tale movies for adults, more often than not explore the weird and the monstrous. For him, monsters do not exist for our fear and loathing. He thinks of them as manifestations of our inner demons. Monsters in his stories are strange and often repellent, but simultaneously beautiful in a strange way. In his 'Pinocchio', a Netflix movie, Guillermo del Toro has depicted the character closer to how Collodi imagined: a rough carving only vaguely human in appearance -- judging by the trailer at least. We can expect del Toro to explore themes like sense of belonging through the movie. This is Pinocchio for adults -- edgier and more profound.
 

Zemeckis has excelled in the speculative fiction genre with movies like 'Back to the Future' and we expect him to deliver a heartwarming tale full of adventure. Not as fresh as del Toro's perhaps, and more escapist than challenging. 
 

The original story is firmly rooted in Italy of the 1880s with the cultural connotations and norms. We can expect Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' to follow the setting accurately. The Disney animated movie was set in Italy but not in any particular period. It was all quite wispy and much of the time. Zemeckis' movie will probably be more faithful to the setting than the animated original, but its location and time period is unlikely to play a huge role in the story.
 

Both films have decorated casts. Zemeckis' 'Pinocchio' stars Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, Giuseppe Battiston, and Luke Evans with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Keegan-Michael Key. Guillermo del Toro's movie features the voices of Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton.
 

The release date of Zemeckis' 'Pinocchio' is almost here. It will release on Disney+ Hotstar in India on September 8. Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' will release sometime in December 2022.