6 Pinocchio Movies You Can Watch Right Now, Including Guillermo Del Toro's Stop-Motion Musical

When most people think of "Pinocchio," this is the movie they think of. 1940's "Pinocchio" was the second animated movie created by Disney after 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Pinocchio is a little less rebellious than he is in the original novel, but this is still one of the darker Disney films since it includes Pleasure Island, where boys smoke cigars, gamble, and get drunk before turning into donkeys. The most iconic song from the soundtrack is "When You Wish Upon a Star," which won the Academy Award for best song and has become Disney's anthem of sorts, used throughout their branding and marketing.

Watch "Pinocchio" (1940) on Disney+.

Netflix's new version of "Pinocchio," directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, sets the story in 1930s fascist Italy and makes some major changes to the plot. Geppetto (David Bradley) is a woodworker who deeply loves his only son, Carlo (Gregory Mann, who also voices Pinocchio). But Carlo is killed by a wayward bomb, sending Geppetto into a deep depression. The wood sprite (voiced by Tilda Swinton) brings Pinocchio to life to bring Geppetto joy again. The stop-motion animated film also features gorgeous original songs, including Pinocchio's super sweet "Ciao Papa" and "Everything Is New to Me." Ewan McGregor voices Sebastian J Cricket. Bring a box of tissues.

Watch "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" on Netflix.

"Pinocchio" (2022) is the newest of Disney's live-action remakes. Director Robert Zemeckis chose to imitate the Pinocchio puppet from the first Disney film and kept him puppet size, making him much, much smaller than the "real boy" he longs to be and more akin to a toddler. The soundtrack used songs from the original film combined with a few original tracks, including a song for Hanks's Geppetto, "Pinocchio, Pinocchio." The cast includes Luke Evans, Lorraine Bracco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Keegan-Michael Key.

Watch "Pinocchio" (2022) on Disney+.

2020's "Pinocchio," directed by Matteo Garrone, stays very close to Collodi's original story. It does not use CGI, instead using prosthetics for its more fantastical characters, including Pinocchio. It stars Federico Ielapi as Pinocchio and Roberto Benigni as Geppetto. The Italian-language film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for costume design and hairstyling.

Watch "Pinocchio" (2020) on Prime Video.

"The Adventures of Pinocchio," released in 1996, stars Martin Landau as Geppetto and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Pinocchio. Geneviève Bujold plays Leona, Geppetto's friend he's in love with, who used to be married to his late brother. It's more faithful to the original version than the Disney retelling while still targeted toward kids. It was not a box office hit, though some critics praised it for including some of the darker parts of the story. A sequel, "The New Adventures of Pinocchio," was released in 1999.

Watch "The Adventures of Pinocchio" on HBO Max.

OK, technically these aren't Pinocchio movies, but Pinocchio is a major supporting character throughout the Shrek franchise. Like in his origin story, he's a puppet who wishes to be a real boy (a dream that briefly comes true in "Shrek 2"). Like the other fairytale creatures, he's usually used for comic relief. In the first "Shrek," Geppetto sells him to Lord Farquad, and he's dumped in Shrek's swamp not long after. In "Shrek Forever After," he tries to sell Geppetto to Rumpelstiltskin in order to become a real boy. He's also set to appear in "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" — and perhaps, this time, his dream will come true for good.

Watch the "Shrek" movies on Peacock.