Pinocchio Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

5. The Storytelling Lacks Emotion

Pinocchio is one of Disney's most classically affecting stories - a sweet tale about a living puppet who yearns to become a real boy, and finally gets that wish at film's end.

As difficult as it seems to not wring easy emotion from that concept, Zemeckis' film does feel oddly neutered compared to the animated version, even with its more overtly treacly attempts to prize tears from our eyes.

Aside from a spirited rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Cynthia Erivo's Blue Fairy, this is an oddly cold, disconnected film where its basic emotional throughline is concerned.

We know we should feel something, yet this is constantly at odds with the sheer perfunctory vibe of almost the entire movie, that it's an obligation for a streaming service rather than a story somebody desperately wanted to tell.