The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1999)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Carlo Collodi (book)
Tom Sheppard (written by) ...

Release Date:

15 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Puppeteer Geppetto becomes a puppet himself after drinking an elixir that Pinocchio bought from a traveling carnival. |

Plot Keywords:

Puppet | Pinocchio | Carnival | Skipping School | Juggling

Cast

Martin Landau	...	Geppetto
Udo Kier	...	Madame Flambeau / Lorenzini
Gabriel Thomson	...	Pinocchio
Gemma Gregory	...	Blue Fairy
Warwick Davis	...	Dwarf
Sarah Alexander	...	Felinet
Simon Schatzberger	...	Volpe
Ben Ridgeway	...	Lampwick
Alain Brizzi
Jusif Mustafaev
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Bearne
Pascal Boffy
Luce Botte
Thiry Christophe	...	Tall Thin Man
Kelvin Cook	...	Circus worker
Charly Durlacher
Patrick Hastert
Christopher Holden	...	Prince
Derek Kueter
Bruce MacEwen
Angela Milne
Philip Philmar
Pieter Riemens
Charles Suberville
Isabella Theunissen

Also Known As:

Die neuen Abenteuer des Pinocchio (Germany)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | France:U | Germany:6 | Spain:T | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Carousel Picture Company, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Company:

Fries Film Group

Movie Connections:

Follows The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)

Very disappointing.

To say this is a silly movie is an understatement. The premise, that Gepetto is now turned into a puppet, has a great deal of promise, in that it could have explored the mirror images, so to speak, of the poignant emotions that have made Collodi's original tale immortal. Sadly, none of this occurs. Instead, every millimeter of depth is drained, leaving only an insipid story of a boy and man who seem less real than the puppets they sometimes occupy. Gabriel Thomson, in the title role, comes across as trying very hard to rescue anything he can out of this part, which must have felt pretty humiliating right after "Pip" of "Great Expectations." He showed much more what he was capable of in "Enemy at the Gates" (2001), and then went on to a TV series. I suppose the very young might find a few laughs in this "Pinocchio," but if you're looking for a further lesson in life or what constitutes being human, you won't find it here.