Make a full-length feature cartoon? It couldn't be done. And why should it be anyway, nobody is going to want to watch a 90-minute cartoon. After proving those commonly held thoughts to be oh so wrong with the triumph of Snow White what would Walt Disney do for an encore? Pinocchio came next and showed Disney was not going to rest on his laurels. For as magnificent an achievement as Snow White was the animation on display in that film could be said to be a little crude compared to what was to come. Pinocchio advanced the art form. Visually there is nothing to quibble with here, everything looks fantastic. And what great action too, imagination is not limited to what the animators might be able to achieve. It seems they could achieve whatever they wanted. There are some big, bold sequences in this film that show the great jump the Disney team had made in just three years since Snow White. Disney had succeeded in making the impossible possible.
Everyone is familiar by now with the famous story of Pinocchio, that of the wooden puppet magically brought to life. But while he can walk and talk and sing and dance he is still made of wood and wishes to be a real boy. His quest to become real will take him to some very interesting places. Some very bizarre places too. If you're going to accept the basic premise of a wooden puppet brought to life I guess you can accept pretty much anything. But there is the sense that maybe the story ultimately gets a little too weird for the film's good. The second half of the film is not as much fun as the first. It even gets a little scary, poor Pinocchio in almost constant peril. Luckily our puppet hero has some helpers. There's Jiminy Cricket who serves as his conscience, trying to help the incredibly naive Pinocchio know right from wrong. Whenever Pinocchio's really stuck you can count on the Blue Fairy to show up and help out. And of course there is kindly, old Geppetto, Pinocchio's maker, his "father" so to speak who has his own strange misadventure.
The story lags somewhat in the middle and does take those truly bizarre turns toward the end. But as a whole the story is satisfying, sure to leave a smile on your face. It's so easy to love Pinocchio, the character, that you are willing to overlook any minor quibbles with Pinocchio, the film. And the main character is not the only thing to love. Jiminy is a lot of fun, Geppetto is one of the most kindhearted characters you'll see in any film. And as much as you like the good guys the film gives you some stellar bad guys to hiss at too. The score is terrific. There is the iconic When You Wish upon a Star to open the film and some other good songs sprinkled in along the way. The film provides laughs, charm, suspense, drama, pretty much everything you could ask for. And it looks absolutely magnificent, taking animation to new heights. Pinocchio is one of those films which is not just appreciated but beloved. One of Disney's crown jewels, a film which will live forever.
Everyone is familiar by now with the famous story of Pinocchio, that of the wooden puppet magically brought to life. But while he can walk and talk and sing and dance he is still made of wood and wishes to be a real boy. His quest to become real will take him to some very interesting places. Some very bizarre places too. If you're going to accept the basic premise of a wooden puppet brought to life I guess you can accept pretty much anything. But there is the sense that maybe the story ultimately gets a little too weird for the film's good. The second half of the film is not as much fun as the first. It even gets a little scary, poor Pinocchio in almost constant peril. Luckily our puppet hero has some helpers. There's Jiminy Cricket who serves as his conscience, trying to help the incredibly naive Pinocchio know right from wrong. Whenever Pinocchio's really stuck you can count on the Blue Fairy to show up and help out. And of course there is kindly, old Geppetto, Pinocchio's maker, his "father" so to speak who has his own strange misadventure.
The story lags somewhat in the middle and does take those truly bizarre turns toward the end. But as a whole the story is satisfying, sure to leave a smile on your face. It's so easy to love Pinocchio, the character, that you are willing to overlook any minor quibbles with Pinocchio, the film. And the main character is not the only thing to love. Jiminy is a lot of fun, Geppetto is one of the most kindhearted characters you'll see in any film. And as much as you like the good guys the film gives you some stellar bad guys to hiss at too. The score is terrific. There is the iconic When You Wish upon a Star to open the film and some other good songs sprinkled in along the way. The film provides laughs, charm, suspense, drama, pretty much everything you could ask for. And it looks absolutely magnificent, taking animation to new heights. Pinocchio is one of those films which is not just appreciated but beloved. One of Disney's crown jewels, a film which will live forever.