ReelTalk 07/27/2026 reviewing PINOCCHIO UNSTRUNG with Sean Boelman

Gloriously unhinged!

Some movies ask us to admire their stories.

Others ask us to admire the craftsmanship that brought them to life.

Pinocchio Unstrung, the latest horror reimagining from the creative team behind Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, isn't a film I'll remember for its screenplay. The dialogue is often clunky or just bad, the characters are thinly drawn, and the story rarely surprises.

Yet within minutes, I found myself grinning from ear to ear.

Why? Because this is a movie made by artists who clearly love movie magic.

From handcrafted puppets and practical makeup to animatronic creatures and inventive production design, nearly every frame reminds us what can happen when filmmakers choose tangible craftsmanship over digital convenience.

Pinocchio Unstrung may never be remembered as one of horror's great screenplays, but I sincerely hope it's remembered for something equally important.

At a time when computer-generated imagery has become the industry's default solution, this film reminds us that movie magic can still be built by hand. Puppeteers. Makeup artists. Creature designers. Animatronic engineers. Craftsmen whose work is tangible enough to touch—and whose passion is visible in every frame.

Whether or not the story completely works, the artistry certainly does.

Joining ReelTalk once again is friend of the show film critic Sean Boelman, editor at FandomWire and member of the Critics Choice Association.