Our story begins with a carpenter named
Gepetto, an old man who makes wooden toys and clocks for children. One day he
creates a wooden puppet named Pinocchio, and wishes it could be a real boy, that way he would no longer be a lonely old man. One magic night, a mystical
Blue Fairy rewards Gepetto for his kindness by granting his wish, and placing a
spell on Pinocchio. The puppet is giving the ability to move and talk, but he
can’t become a real boy until he’s proven himself brave, selfless and several
other things that would make him a good kid. Enter a little insect named Jiminy
Cricket who volunteers to be Pinocchio’s conscience and guide on his journey to
be a real boy. For lack of better terminology, I love how this movie humanized
Pinocchio and made him feel like a real child. He’s bright eyed and innocent,
but he doesn’t always make the right decisions and doesn’t even know the
differences between right and wrong. It’s a great coming of age story, and a
perfect way for young viewers to learn some meaningful life lesions as they
follow this character who gets himself from one situation into another.
Let’s look at the characters, starting
with Jiminy Cricket, who’s become one of Disney’s most iconic and well known
characters. Personally, I never liked him that much, and even as a kid I found him
kind of dull. I do however like what he represents, as he's more then just a goofy sidekick, and I wish more animated Disney
films would feature characters like this. The only other two I can think of are
the mouse Timothy from “Dumbo” and
the crab Sebastian from “The Little
Mermaid”. These are genially likable side kick characters that will be
there for moral support, but convey it through their own charm and charisma. I
honestly think current day Disney films rely too much on over the top comedic
relief characters and wacky sidekicks. Jiminy Cricket would return in the
animated 1947 Disney movie “Fun and
Fancy Free”, and his status as one of the most iconic animated characters
only progressed from there.
Aside from Jiminy Cricket, we also have
some colorful side characters, including the gold fish Cleo, and the mystical Blue Fairy. Of course, there's the mischievous
little cat named Figaro, who's another character that somehow escaped the confines of the
movie, and became a classic cartoon character. After his movie appearance, Figaro was often featured in both Mine Mouse
cartoons, and even his own individual cartoons. To be honest, I keep forgetting that
Figaro came from “Pinocchio”, I
always think of him as Mine Mouse’s classic pet, which is wired now that I
think about it ... a mouse has a pet cat. My favorite character in this movie
is Gepetto himself. Despite being an old man, he still has the heart and spirit
of a kid, and he’s just a real joy to have on screen. He also has some really
funny reactions, and I especially love the scene when he discovers his wooden
puppet has come to life. I almost wish that this was Gepetto’s movie, because I find him slightly more interesting than our title character.
As is tradition with these animated
Disney films, there has to be a villain. However, “Pinocchio” might just be the most unique in this regard. There
isn’t one main villain, there’s actually several that change with each act of
the movie. In act 1 the villain is a traveling performer named Stromboli, who
kidnaps Pinocchio and forces him to perform in his show. In act 2 the villain
is the Coachmen, who makes money off of children he's collected, and I’ll talk about
that in more detail later. Then in act 3 the villain is the giant whale
Monstro, who’s eager to make a meal out of Gepetto and his family.
Stromboli is
the only antagonist that’s considered part of the official Disney villain line
up, but personally, I actually found him to be the most boring and forgettable
of all the characters. My favorite of the films villains by far is actually a
character named Honest John, a swindler who always steers Pinocchio down the
wrong path. This is the guy I always think of when it comes to “Stranger
Danger”. He’s soft spoken and charismatic, but you just know you shouldn’t
trust the guy, and I think it delivers a good message to kids. I especially
love the design of this guy, in contrast to all the other human characters seen
in the film, Honest John and his cat side kick are the only anthropomorphic
characters featured in the film. I always took it as a metaphor, like ... maybe the other
characters actually see him as a person, but we the audience see Honest John for
what he really is ... a tricky and deceptive Fox.
Ironically, I’ve always remembered “Pinocchio” as one of the scarier
animated Disney films that I grew up with. There are some tense situations like
when Pinocchio is kidnapped and caged by Stromboli, and there’s some really
freighting imagery. That evil smile from the Coachman always kept me awake at
night. On that note, lets finally talk about the wicked Coachman. This guy takes
advantage of some juvenile children, has them transformed into donkeys, which
are then turned into his slaves and prisoners. While Pinocchio is lucky to
escape, the coachman is never defeated, and the kids he has imprisoned are
never set free, which really bothered me as a kid. That makes the scary imagery
and child transformations all the more disturbing with no happy ending, at
least for them. The film also features some suggestive themes and content that
I don’t think would fly so well today. For example, this movie shows in detail
children smoking, drinking, and the word “Jack Ass” is thrown around a lot.
Yes, I know there referring to jack ass donkeys, but even before the donkeys
were featured in the film, we had characters saying “Jack Ass”.
This may seem like a really big problem
for the film, but all the darkness actually works to the films advantage, and
it helps children respect the messages in the movie even more. When most people
think of the message from “Pinocchio”,
they think of “make a wish, and your dreams will come true”, but there’s
actually a lot more to this movie then just that. This is a coming of age story
that teaches children the values of being truthful, being selfless, never trust strangers and the
visuals used to convey these morals still stick with us to this day. Pinocchio’s
nose growing longer when he lies, the kids turning into donkeys when they're
selfish, these are all memorable moments that convey a sense of wisdom and
helps make the movie a more valuable experience rather than a time waster with
some pretty visuals.
On
that note, the artistry on display in this film is very impressive, especially
for such an early animated film. There’s a scene when Pinocchio is submersed under
water and explores the ocean world. While the layout is very colorful and
lively, it also introduces some new techniques. This was the first time an
animated character was ever featured under water, which meant new challenges
for the animators to convey the illusion. They would draw individual bubbles
when both the character and fish moved, and they’d also play with the lighting.
This whole under water section was probably a big influence on the next
generation of Disney artists that worked on “The Little Mermaid”. The locations all have a lot of detail and personality
that brings this magical world to life. Gepetto’s work shop for example is one
of the most colorful and lively locations I’ve ever seen in a Disney movie.
Seeing all his detailed wooden clocks and musical toys come to life is just a
real treat. The world of “Pinocchio”
is also very unique, as it's not exactly a fantasy world, but it’s a world where
anything can happen ... whether it’s a magical blue fairy or an anthropomorphic
fox person, and I always love films that can just have strange things happen.
I also think the movie is a lot more
exciting then we give it credit for. It may not be a swash buckling action
adventure or anything, but the thrilling moments in this film are still really
good. The climax with the giant whale
Monstro is very intense and exciting to watch. Actually, the more I think about
it, this was the very first big action scene to be featured in an animated
movie. The beast itself is one of the most frightening creatures to ever come
from Disney, in fact I’d say that Monstro is just as thrilling as the giant
squid from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”.
Something about the design, the deep sounds he makes, and those burning eyes of his that really set the intimidation mood.
Now, let’s talk about the music, as that
played a big part in “Pinocchio’s”
longevity. In fact, the movie won two Oscars for both original song and
instrumental music. Well, the instrumental music is wonderful, as those first five
notes heard during the opening title screen always get me in the warm nostalgic
“feels”. The songs themselves are very memorable, but I’ve never really loved
them either. I liked them more for the individual scenes as opposed to the songs
themselves. For example, the musical number titled “Little Wooden
Head” is very colorful and shows off how lively Gepetto’s workshop
can get, but the song itself does nothing for me. I think most of us still remember the musical titles
like “I’ve
got no Strings on me”, or “Give a little Whistle”, but we don’t really
hum them to ourselves either, as there just not as fun as other classic Disney songs. I will say that Honest Johns villainess song titled “Hi-Diddle Dee
Dee” is extremely upbeat, and it has that kind of bouncy melody that
still plays in the sub-continues of my head. Of course, there’s that classic
Oscar winning song “When you wish Upon a Star”, which shouldn’t be
taken too seriously, and just appreciated as both a wholesome and deeply nostalgic tune.
This song is practically Disney’s anthem, and it’s still a really good one that
just takes me back to my child hood every time I hear it.
Overall, “Pinocchio” still isn’t one of my absolute favorite Disney
offerings, and it’s not one that I watch often, but it is special, and it's positive reputation is well earned. I think children can gain a lot from
the wisdom conveyed in the film, and it can definitely spark the imagination in
viewers both young and old alike. It’s a film that I’d want kids to see at a
young and impressionable age. I didn’t love this movie as a child, but it still
left a small impact on me, and I still remember it as I’ve grown up. Ranging
from bright and colorful, to dark and sinister, going from fun and adventurous,
to beautiful and uplifting ... “Pinocchio”
may not be a personal favorite, but it’s a well deserved Disney classic that I
sincerely hope continues to be discovered by children of each changing
generation.
Thanks for reading my review of Disney's 1940 classic “Pinocchio” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you love!
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