"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" has obvious connections to real-world events that run parallel to its story, but things get amped up to a whole new level of reality when characters start referencing Benito Mussolini by name. Count Volpe (voice of Christoph Waltz) reveres Mussolini, who he frequently refers to as "Il Duce," or "the leader" in Italian, and is thrilled that Pinocchio will perform his act in front of Mussolini. Wait, what? Yes, it happens, though Pinocchio takes the opportunity to pull a prank. "Pinocchio sings about poop to Mussolini" probably wasn't on anyone's bingo card going into this movie, but here we are.
Through the lens of characters like Count Volpe and Podestà, the audience sees the disturbing impact of Mussolini's message in ways that are difficult to grasp today. As Encyclopedia Britannica notes about the time period, "Many Italians, especially among the middle class, welcomed [Mussolini's] authority." Mussolini, who would later rub shoulders with Hitler during World War II (after the events of "Pinocchio"), ruled an authoritarian Italy with prejudice and terror, to say the least. His bit part in this film might seem like just another movie villain — perhaps even an unimportant one, given his screentime — to kids who haven't learned about this era of world history. To adults aware of the bigger picture, though, it's a bit crazy to process that a terrible, real-world dictator is canon within this version of "Pinocchio."
