Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: enjoying another version without demanding a copy

One film among many versions

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won the animated feature Oscar on March 12, 2023. The Academy’s record places that recognition on a specific date; this feature is not announcing a new award. The film offers a chance to consider a familiar viewing habit: approaching an adaptation with another version already in mind. That is not a problem in itself. The challenge is to avoid letting the memory prevent us from discovering what is in front of us.

We may know a story through a book, a film or someone who told it at home. Those experiences do not always match, and we need not rank them from best to worst. Before comparing, identify what your reference actually is. Sometimes we call the version we saw first the original, even when we know little about its relationship to the text. Acknowledging this makes the conversation more precise and less competitive.

Compare questions, not just details

Rather than listing everything that changes, choose a question that interests you: what does growing up mean for this character, or what do the people around him expect? Notice how each version answers through its own choices. This comparison can reveal differences in tone without requiring one work to copy another. It also lets you explain why you prefer a particular choice rather than treating every change as a mistake.

Another useful comparison is between what you expected to feel and what you actually felt. Perhaps you wanted something light and found a different experience, or an image mattered more than the plot you remembered. These are personal responses, not universal measures of quality. If you plan to share the film, describe the tone you experienced and check the age classification in your territory instead of assuming that all animation suits every audience.

Make room for a new memory

After watching, keep one observation of your own before reading other people’s explanations. It might be a question, a visual impression or a moment you want to revisit. You do not need to decide immediately which adaptation wins. Holding different versions in your memory does not diminish your favorite; it expands the possibilities of a story. That curiosity lets us return to a film or a book without demanding an exact repeat of an experience we have already had.