Pinocchio
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): September 8, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
19
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottSep 8, 2022
The real reason Zemeckis’ Pinocchio works so well is because it doesn’t forget the emotion and humor. Read full review
75
Paste MagazineB.L. PantherSep 8, 2022
Even though it may lack some nuanced darkness and some of the writing feels a little “on the nose,” as Jiminy himself says, with this family-friendly picture, Zemeckis blends state-of-the-art technology with more up-to-date morals to prove Pinocchio a real and alive text. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 8, 2022
Every frame of “Pinocchio” is filled with rich and lush detail — at times this almost looks like a 3-D film — and the performances, whether live action or voiced, are universally excellent. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredFrancisca TinocoSep 9, 2022
Where 'Pinocchio' slips up in selling its magical illusion, it makes up for in honest fun and a surprising self-awareness. Read full review
63
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenNov 11, 2022
Pinocchio manages enough charm, inventiveness, and—yes—technical innovation to be worth the effort. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 8, 2022
The head-spinning puppet is beautifully-rendered, and the addition of the clattering, clacking sound effect that his wooden hinge-joints make is a plus. Read full review
62
CNETRichard TrenholmSep 8, 2022
A brand new remake of the classic Disney animation sanitizes the aging cartoon's more dubious elements, but still manages to be bizarre as all get out -- and in fact, this awkward mash-mash of digital effects and live action adds new levels of weird. Read full review
60
Total FilmFay WatsonSep 8, 2022
Another enjoyable yet flawed addition to Disney’s live-action catalog, with stunning visuals that capture the magic of the original but ultimately fail to keep up the pace. Read full review
60
The GuardianAdrian HortonSep 8, 2022
The film is competently crafted, dutifully acted, clearly labored over with soul, and yet, like its star, lacks a beating heart. Read full review
50
Original-CinJohn KirkSep 26, 2022
This dull recreation of the animated film doesn’t strive for anything more than what was contained in the original version of this film and actually delivers less. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonSep 9, 2022
The Blue Fairy may have brought life to Pinocchio, but no one here is delivering anything particularly fresh. Or alarming. For that, we wait till Christmas. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleSep 8, 2022
The best reason to see “Pinocchio” is, unsurprisingly, Hanks, who brings a soulful melancholy to Geppetto. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeMark FeeneySep 8, 2022
The remake is poky and overstuffed. It’s also 17 minutes longer than the 1940 original. Granted, eight minutes of that is closing credits, but still. Pinocchio’s nose isn’t all that’s wooden and too long here. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 8, 2022
What’s really missing is the sense of magic. Some films feel like classics from the start. Others don’t. The new “Pinocchio” falls into the latter category. Watching it makes you believe sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone. Read full review
50
IndieWireChristian ZilkoSep 8, 2022
While the original story remains undeniably excellent, “Pinocchio” fails at re-telling it because it ignores its own advice. Each failed attempt to modernize its beautiful message serves as a reminder of how little it needed updating in the first place. Read full review
50
IGNTara Bennett Sep 8, 2022
Aside from an unexpected ending, director Robert Zemeckis is basically doing a paint-by-numbers version of the studio’s much better original, just with modern animation and Tom Hanks. And while Tom always tries his best, even he can’t make this redo memorable on its own merits. Read full review
42
The Film StageJordan RaupSep 8, 2022
While a murky, laborious affair, Pinocchio never feels wholly inept with the consummate craftsman at the helm, yet it’s certainly the director’s laziest time behind the camera. Read full review
42
The PlaylistNick AllenSep 8, 2022
Another lifeless live-action adaptation from the factory that’s inside the Disney vault. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubLuke Y. ThompsonSep 8, 2022
Far be it from us to actively reveal what scuttles Zemeckis’ film, but let’s just say that it seems like the people who made its biggest creative choices have more wood for brains than the character they brought to life. Read full review
40
Film ThreatAlex SavelievSep 16, 2022
This shameless excuse for children’s entertainment would be a blemish on any hack’s resume. Read full review
40
EmpireAlex GodfreySep 8, 2022
Though not without charm, and some splendid CGI, this scattershot grab-bag of good intentions results in a bit of an emotional flatline. This puppet will not tug on your heartstrings. Read full review
40
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonSep 8, 2022
Boy oh real boy, is the script by Zemeckis and Chris Weitz a lifeless chunk of wood. Read full review
40
VarietyAndrew BarkerSep 8, 2022
Roping a game Tom Hanks into the fold as the kindly woodworker Geppetto, and employing countless digital artisans to recreate the iconic character design of the protagonist to eerily lifeless effect, “Pinocchio” is a lavish yet hollow retread that will surely give the original a boost when it arrives on Disney+ this weekend. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 8, 2022
Trying to recapture the magic of the 1940 animated classic, Robert Zemeckis’ live-action Pinocchio is a wooden, laboured affair. Read full review
40
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannSep 8, 2022
It needed something to make it feel fresh beyond dazzling visuals, but by stripping away much of what made the first film great, Pinocchio feels like the same old story, even if its fantastical elements shine onscreen. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarSep 8, 2022
Zemeckis’ Pinocchio prompts one to wish upon a star that Disney would stop diluting the legacy of its beloved animated features with these soulless knockoffs. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireSep 9, 2022
The result is a muddled mixture, offering some moments of exuberance and humor without ever being singular or exceptional. Read full review
35
CNNBrian LowrySep 8, 2022
Even taking it as a given that Disney’s animated classics will all receive live-action makeovers eventually, Pinocchio feels like an unnecessary exercise – a movie so flat that it never sparks to life, and barely feels as if it’s making the leap into a different medium. Read full review
33
ColliderRoss BonaimeSep 8, 2022
If the 1940 Pinocchio showed that any wish your heart desires could come true, this remake shows what happens when your nightmares come to life. Read full review
30
ABC NewsPeter TraversSep 14, 2022
Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee, it didn’t work for me. Read full review
30
ScreenCrushMatt SingerSep 10, 2022
Despite all the fairies and waving of wands, there’s just not much magic here. Read full review
30
SlashfilmVanessa ArmstrongSep 8, 2022
One of the best things I can say about the movie is that it likely won't be one that your child will want to watch over and over, which means you won't have to, either. Read full review
30
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanSep 8, 2022
Zemeckis and co-writer Chris Weitz do make some attempt to dust off the concept, but the modernized moments further undermine their efforts. When they add empathy, the story loses its soul. And when they jam in easy updates, it just highlights how out of touch the rest of the script feels. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonSep 8, 2022
Like Disney’s tepid 2019 live-action remake of “The Lion King,” it’s virtually a beat-by-beat remake of the original, but without the original’s energy and movement. Read full review
20
The TelegraphRobbie CollinSep 8, 2022
Robert Zemeckis, who should be well above this, imprints a bit of personality on this nightmare exactly twice. Read full review
15
The AtlanticDavid SimsSep 28, 2022
Zemeckis certainly remains good at running a production that uses expensive-looking CGI. The actual narrative behind those visuals, however, seems to have vanished. Read full review
10
PolygonJosh SpiegelSep 8, 2022
By studiously spelling out each emotion, Zemeckis and Weitz remove any potential for enigmatic complexity. And while the computer technology bringing Pinocchio to life is nowhere near as creepy as anything in Zemeckis’ Polar Express, that’s mitigated by how obviously fake he is anytime there’s a shot with a human actor “touching” or “holding” the little wooden boy. Read full review
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