Pinocchio

With less than 1/4 of the budget of the soulless Disney live action remake earlier this year, Del Toro & Co. Have managed to craft a version of Pinocchio with more personality, heart, and soul than Disney could have dreamed of crafting.

It injects new life into the character by telling a story that is vastly different both narratively and thematically than any version we've seen on screen before.

This tale deals with the malleability of identity, unconditional love, the impressionable nature of children, and the close link between joy and sorrow. And it does so with dark wit, refreshingly complex three-dimensional characters, and stunningly haunting stop-motion animation.

However, I do think this could have benefited a bit from cutting down on the plethora of plot points and having Pinocchio and Geppetto spend more time together. This version lacks the tight focus and brisk pacing of the 1940 version.

But aside from this, I was thoroughly entranced by this dark fairy tale. It has a spine and a soul, and unlike it's titular protagonist, it's far from wooden.