Pinocchio (1940)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Perfectly adorable

A Brilliant Conflict

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

The year is 1940; the second film by Walt Disney is released. After the surprise success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Disney was hoping for another movie that would be just as well received financially and critically, just like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (international gloss of $6.5 million against a $1.49 million budget) so Pinocchio had the daunting task of following in the footsteps of what many then and now called the mother of animated feature films but also turn a profit as the world falls into the madness of World War 2. Needless to say while Pinocchio was a moderate critical success that the time and was massive box office bomb with Disney getting only $1 million against a $2.289 million dollars. Time has been kind to Pinocchio however with it gradually getting it's money back and earned critical acclaim with a 100% like on Rotten Tomatoes ( a grade shared by Mary Poppins which would come out in 1964) does it deserve this much love and admiration? Well.....yes. Yes it does. The story of Pinocchio is much in the same vain as its predecessor, a simple story with good morals and characters. Geppetto (Christian Rub)is a toy maker living in what I can assume is mid to late 1800s France, he is lonely and dreams of a child of his own. One night he wishes upon a star and as result the magical Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) brings Geppetto's most recent puppet to life. Now Pinocchio (Dikie Jones) has to prove to the Blue Fairy that he is truthful, honest and unselfish in order to become a real boy. To help Pinocchio achieve this goal a cricket called Jiminy Cricket becomes his conscience a sort of guide through the real world. The main star of Pinocchio is the animation and artwork; the backgrounds are lush and highly detailed. They add to the magical atmosphere and make you warm and fuzzy as a result. The animation itself is typical late 1930s-early 1940s smooth and fantastically animated with tons of visual personality. Such as how Honest John (Walter Catlett) reads the school book upside down tells us that he is stupid and overconfident, Geppetto's cat is another example of this. The cat never said a word yet I feel I know everything about him. Another thing about the animation is the physical and visual comedy which is perfectly timed and thought out; my example I gave with Honest John is genuinely funny and is delivered with some nuance, all the jokes are delivered with subtlety and respect for the viewers intelligence, something a lot of children's movies throughout the years since Disney's creation have struggled to understand and have suffered as a result. It would be unfair of me to talk about the performances, they are all flawless and Dikie Jones deserves special mention as he is totally believable as Pinocchio, considering that Dikie Jones was only 11 years old at the time of playing the part. I cannot find anything wrong with his performance or any of the other actors. Pinocchio, much like Snow White has its morals told in simple but smart ways that both children and adults can relate to on some level. I do not need to explain why Please Island and the children turning into Donkey's are not only memorable and intelligent in delivering its message. The film is also not afraid to go to some dark places, the kids transforming into donkeys and the Ringmaster are only a few moments where the movie gets really dark and almost disturbing especially for a family friendly movie. However this is not a negative for the movie, the dark moments shine the happier moments all the brighter. In fact I cannot find any flaws in this film, this movie is almost perfect.Pinocchio is one of the best animated films out there, a classic that has stood the test of time. At times harrowing other times whimsical Pinocchio is an artistic marvel with themes and messages that will last forever.

The Bad: Some people consider this one of Disney's best movies – I am not one of them. The 'hero' is extremely unlikeable. The situations Pinocchio ends up in are borderline terrifying (both for a child, and for an adult who can think through the deeper implications of kidnapping/slavery). Those who are evil in the movie don't end up punished, they simply seem to get away with it. Most of the songs are not enjoyable. The drinking and smoking don't bother me, personally, although they are shown in a very positive light at first ("Look kids, on Pleasure Island, you can do whatever you want, and that means you can finally get that cigar and whiskey you've always been craving!").The Good:I believe this is supposed to be viewed as a morality tale – like Aesop's Fables – and as such this movie defies several "normal" Disney conventions. For example, it appears that bad behavior (such as telling lies or being selfish) is the true villain. And, like any morality tale, it is meant as a lesson. Granted, the moral of the story is a good one (dealing with bravery, truthfulness, and selflessness along with the idea of not trusting strangers) although it comes across as very heavy-handed. The song "When you wish upon a star" is extremely lovely and timeless. The Mom view:I can admire this movie's unique story, but I don't find it in any way appropriate for young children. As a parent, I find Geppetto, to be the most sympathetic character and one who should be the true hero of the story, despite his lack of screen-time. And his struggles with his child might be a good allegory for all parents who have kids who make devastatingly bad choices. For older kids, this might be a creative way for a parent to discuss some relevant issues such as peer pressure.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am a sucker for classic Walt Disney movies. At 59 years of age with no grandchildren I still make a point of adding the releases of classic Disney animated films to my collection. I never grow tired of watching them and they still retain the magic for me that they had when I viewed them decades ago as a child. I enjoy them with great nieces and nephews when I have the chance, exposing them to the magic that is Disney. They might find the animation lacking in a world of computer generated images but there is no mistaking that these films are works of art.So it is with the release of PINOCCHIO: THE SIGNATURE COLLECTION EDITION on blu-ray. Yes, it has been released previously but as with all Disney re-releases new features have been added and each time they attempt to offer the cleanest and brightest picture possible. They never fail.For those unaware of the story being told (where have you been to miss this?) it tells of a lonely marionette maker named Gepetto whose latest creation is a young boy he names Pinocchio. During the night a fairy arrives at his shop and brings the boy to life, placing a cricket named Jiminy in charge of watching over him, to be his conscience. Gepetto rises delighted to find him alive. But Pinocchio doesn't want to be just a marionette. He wants to be a real live boy.This goal sets Pinocchio and by association Jiminy on a set of adventures while Pinocchio tries to become that. As a young and uninformed person Pinocchio falls prey to the perils of life, kidnapped at one point and setting off to join a group of other young boys who want to grow up into a terror filled journey that finds some of them turned into burros. All the while Jiminy continues to warm Pinocchio of the dangers he is about to encounter but his warning seem to fall on deaf ears.Pinocchio's quest is a noble one. He loves his "father" Gepetto and wishes to become a real boy to be normal but also because he wants to please Gepetto. The bond between the two is as much parent to child as could be found. And before the story ends both will place themselves in danger because of the bond they have.Watching this movie again after all these years it continues to hold up to the test of time. That was one of the most magical things about the classic Disney movies. They were not rooted in one decade or another 60 years later. The stories were timeless and always offered a bit of common sense guidance not determined by social mores of the time but based on things everyone should know and learn. It isn't about political correctness or a cause but about life in general and that's why they remain some of the best films around. In a year where we have all been pounded with politics it is wonderful to see a movie not mired in that but that offers a compelling story that teaches as well.As I said earlier the movie itself is a masterwork of art, with images that were drawn by some of the best and brightest that Disney ever had working for him. Their ability to bring to life this story and to make it interesting is amazing. And it isn't just the characters that make it so but the backgrounds, the settings and the attention to detail that make this film one that is a visual feast for the eyes. To just imagine the work that went into a single minute of film is stunning. To realize that the movie contains 88 minutes of that is astounding.In addition to the remastered look of the film there are several new bonus items included as well. One is a reworking of the now famous tune from the film "When You Wish Upon a Star" as done by 3 Disney kids. Another is a behind the scenes making of on the film. A third is a behind the scenes look at items discussed for the Pleasure Island sequence that were abandoned and not used. There is a discussion with Walt Disney about the character of Pinocchio and the making of the movie. And there is a short cartoon featuring Oswald the lucky rabbit, one of the earliest creations of young animator Walt Disney. Not enough? Well there are indeed more extras to be found.In addition to that the movie is available in a packaging that includes both the blu-ray and DVD versions on disc as well as a digital download for the film making it as portable as you possibly can right now. If you aren't aware of digital downloads of films then by all means you need to begin looking into Vudu and ultra violet editions. This movie would be a great place to start.When all is said and done PINOCCHIO remains the treasure that it was the first time you saw it. If you have children then don't let this on pass you by. Normally Disney releases a film and then removes it from the market for several years. So pick this one up before that happens because by the time it comes around again your child might think themselves too "grown up" for a Disney flick. Have it on hand so they can enjoy it now. But don't let them know that you're enjoying it more than they are. Let it provide family memories now like it did for you when you were young. Isn't your family worth the investment?

Pinocchio is a puppet who, magically, came to life, but it needs the help of Jiminy Cricket to avoid doing bad things. This is one of the most famous earlier films from Disney Studios, inspired by the Italian fable of Carlo Collodi and adapted by Ted. Sears. The direction was in charge of Norman Ferguson's team.This is an important piece of culture, more than just an animated film. Even today, Pinocchio's lies are part of the collective popular imagination, and its not rare to see it applied in other contexts, such as in the protests against government or one of its ministers. Its also not uncommon to hear comparisons between Jiminy Cricket and anyone notable for responsibility and seriousness. The script of this film doesn't portray faithfully the tale of Collodi, but recreates it and rewrites it, giving it a much more didactic and educational aspect. That makes this movie a very good help for parents in their task, always thorny, of educate.The work of the voices is very good and drawings, made the old fashioned way, show us some of the most interesting scenes of the early films of this iconic studio. The use of color was done intelligently. The songs are excellent, some of them have become unmistakable. Pinocchio is, today as it was for decades, one of the compelling films of childhood of many grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren, passing from generation to generation.