What Exactly Is Cricket? The 'Pinocchio Unstrung' Villain, Explained
Pinocchio: Unstrung (2026) is the fifth addition to the Twisted Childhood Universe that includes films like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) and Bambi: The Reckoning (2025). It leans heavily into a fairy tale tone with a hefty amount of violence. But the most interesting addition is Robert Englund's return to the screen as Cricket.
Cricket obviously serves as a dark reflection of Jiminy Cricket, but there's so much more to his character hiding just under the surface. In a way, he also captures what makes the Twisted Childhood Universe work so well and also sets up a dark return that will surely put a smile on fans' faces.
'Pinocchio: Unstrung's Cricket Is Surrounded By Mystery
Pinocchio: Unstrung asks audiences the question of what would happen if Pinocchio were a killer and his guide were nothing more than a steward of violence, pushing the boy to kill. Cricket is a truly twisted character that is also shrouded in mystery that's never fully answered.
Sent to look after Pinocchio by the Wood Mother, all we can really understand is that he's tied to the old tree that seems to feed on bodies and reform them as wooden puppets. Unlike the other wooden characters in the film, Cricket seems much more organic, and the one thing we know for sure about him is that he loves violence and supporting Pinocchio.
Robert Englund makes Cricket a pseudo-Freddy Krueger with his jokes and sharp fingers, and it helps bring a charisma ot the character no one else could bring. But it likely won't be till we see him again that we fully understand just how evil he is and what he's capable of beyond pushing small children to kill violently.
Jiminy Cricket Has Always Been A Moral Compass
Past iterations of Pinocchio, including the original 1883 story, have always had Jiminy Cricket as a moral compass. The most iconic version was none other than the Disney version of Pinocchio (1940), where we heard his iconic "When You Wish Upon a Star" song.
No matter what, there's always been one rule with Jiminy Cricket in that he exists solely to guide Pinocchio, who has no concept of right or wrong, to make good choices. Granted, he often learns the hard way how this works time and again, but Jiminy still does his best to help the unruly puppet.
This has always been a part of his charm. His unwavering loyalty and desire to see Pinocchio become his best self, trying to warn him of danger while also letting him face his consequences. Pinocchio: Unstrung is surprisingly honest in its portrayal of Cricket, and while he's evil, it holds true to the same themes.
Cricket is a moral compass, but he just leans on the bad side. He wants to see Pinocchio succeed, but he relishes violence. He's foul-mouthed and spiteful, but still cares for the one person he was tasked with looking after. He's easily the most evil version of the character we've seen, but he does, in some ways, honor the character we've grown to love.
Cricket's Future After 'Pinocchio: Unstrung' Is Exciting
The one thing we can absolutely confirm with Cricket is that he knows much more than he let on in Pinocchio: Unstrung, and this was teased when he "hooked up" Geppetto's body to the tree he came from. The idea is that the father-figure would achieve his dream of immortality by becoming a puppet himself, but we won't know until a potential sequel.
But with such a teaser, it proves that Cricket is far from over in spreading his chaos around the world. If anything, he's just getting started. Pinocchio didn't disappoint him, per se, but he did not reach the heights Cricket had hoped for, and now, with Geppetto, there's a chance that could change.
With the little we know about Cricket, we can at least understand that the magic he is tied to is more powerful than anything we could think of, and we only saw a fraction of what he could be capable of. Now, it's a matter of what we may see in the future that will give us more context about this devilish creature and whether he could do even more than fly around and coax a puppet to kill people.
