Pinocchio is a story that feel so much older than it actually is. You'd think it was a story that had been around for centuries, but not really. Hell, by the time Walt Disney was made aware of Carlo Collodi's story in 1937, the tale was only 56 years old, first published in 1881. And thus came the adaptation which became the second Disney animated film. It adapts bits from the original story, namely the puppet show, the fun land that turn the kids into donkeys, and the whale, but a lot was added through this adaptation. And characters like Jiminy Cricket who have their role expanded in the Disney take. In the book Pinocchio accidentally kills him and he becomes a ghost. But at least Honest John and Gideon get a punishment in the book, so points there?
If Snow White was the first foot forward for Disney in terms of a theatrical length animated film, then Pinocchio feels like the improved product made manifest. Every issue I had with Snow White feels rectified with Pinocchio. Starting with the pacing. I felt that Snow White's pacing was all over the place, hereby rushing some elements and extending others, or filling others with more songs. With Pinocchio however, everything is given the right amount of time to build its story. Jiminy Cricket's introduction, the creation of Pinocchio, Pinocchio being given life by the blue fairy, and then the mishaps he comes across on his road to becoming a real boy. It's a stronger use of the 90 minutes than Snow White had by far. Is that perhaps because there's more you can narratively do with Pinocchio than Snow White? Perhaps. But it definitely shows in the final product.
God I love how this movie looks. Visually it's still an incredible movie to look at. From the backgrounds, to the character designs, to the underwater effects which were revolutionary at the time yet still hold up fantastically. There is so much life to this movie that it's hard not to just gaze at it and kind of lose track of the story itself. It's just a pretty movie is what I'm getting at. I'll also say what I did with Snow White and that's the HD upscale via Disney+ and Blu Ray is again too clean? I know it's the ideal way to watch at this point but my mind still wanders to the fuzzy static of a VHS airing. I definitely subscribe to the idea that some movies don't really need to be re-polished. It's also one not as full of songs as Snow White was. And the ones that are here, including "When You Wish Upon a Star" which became the company's mantra, are excellent.
I would say there are of course some narrative issues. So Geppetto just sends Pinocchio to school on his own without ever once considering that this puppet child, literally born yesterday, would make it there without getting lost or in trouble? Or that even a school would accept a puppet child at all? I get he probably wasn't aware of Honest John or Stromboli but yeah. As much as this is Pinocchio's poor judgment and not listening to his literal conscience in Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto didn't think this whole thing through. Pinocchio doesn't even know what human children are before he's set off to school, come on. There's also, of course, the disturbing implications of Pleasure Island. Not so much that it's the fantasy land of truant boys, but in that Lampwick and the other kids still end up captured by the Coachman. They never get saved. Pinocchio and Jiminy just kind of bounce once things get dicey. Though, granted, what exactly was Pinocchio going to do about it? He's already half-donkey before he escapes. Can't imagine one puppet stopping a whole child labor trafficking scheme.
The characters are also a very strong point to the movie as well. Jiminy as our main narrator and conscience who tries to keep Pinocchio on the up and up only to constantly be let down, yet never fully abandons him either, though he comes close. Pinocchio as the lead is solid. A charming kid puppet who was literally only alive for about a day or two and yet learns and grows from his experiences. Him being the one to free his family from the insides of Monstro for example. Geppetto is likeable. A good hearted man who is also very selfless, willing to let himself die so long as Pinocchio makes it out alive, or whatever life as a wooden puppet truly is. Honest John and Gideon are fun characters that we get a bit of but not enough in my eyes. I'd ask why we have an anthropomorphic fox and cat hanging around and easily misleading naive wooden children, but we also have a talking cricket, so that shuts me up I guess. And I like the blue fairy who we get just enough of. Though props on her I guess for the mulligan on Pinocchio's quest. Also Figaro is the best cartoon cat ever and you can't change my mind. Cleo the fish is neat too.
In terms of the villains, we get enough of them I guess. Already talked about Honest John and Gideon. You can't do too much with Stromboli after the performance and his plans to exploit Pinocchio. The Coachman is presented as a monster that doesn't get any comeuppance which is a surprisingly real thing for a movie like this. And Monstro is intimidating. From the build of how monstrous the whale is to how he's animated, he feels fitting to be the end boss of the movie. Great characters that serve their purpose, solid structural beats and a story that always keeps moving. That's a perfect way to sum up Pinocchio overall. Always moving. Like the titular puppet, it's a film with no real strings that hold it down. Maybe the visual image of kids smoking, and a certain "G" word I don't use anymore, along with definite Romani stereotypes, but those aside, very few strings hold this movie down.
I'll also say the funniest scene for me is when Pinocchio comes to life and Geppetto awakens, lights a candle match with his ass then pulls out a gun from under his pillow. I get it. He's a toymaker and has a bunch of easily stealable knickknacks, but him just pulling out the glock all "Call an ambulance but not for me" makes this more than worthy of a five star rating alone.
And yes. Even with the minor issues, I'm still giving this a five star rating. Based again on the film's importance and value along with my own feelings towards it. Snow White walked so Pinocchio could run in terms of a step up in quality from the company in arguably their most creative era ever. So I might have to watch that live action adaptation from 2022 and I'm dreading it given how I've heard people talk about it online. Won't be immediate but I'll do it eventually. And Guillermo Del Toro's take from last year as well which I hear is really good. Why last year was such a big Pinocchio year is beyond me, but it did remind me of the gem from 1940 and I'm so glad I finally gave it the full rewatch it deserved.
RATING: *****
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