Among other things, the little bastard viciously kicks Geppetto and throws a hammer at the cricket, killing the hapless insect. The original story is much darker than Disney’s take on the tale (as per usual): for starters, in Collodi’s version, Pinocchio is not so much mischievous as downright cruel. And on top of all that, conveniently, Pinocchio’s nose grows every time he tells a lie, because it’s not enough that he’s, oh, also a FREAKING TALKING PUPPET.ĭisney’s version of the tale is based on the Italian children’s book The Adventures of Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi and published in 1883. His wish is granted by the benevolent Blue Fairy, but his naive new “son” is easily led astray by conniving tricksters, getting into all kinds of trouble that even his “conscience,” in the guise of one Jiminy Cricket, cannot prevent: he joins a marionette show run by a domineering, maniacal old puppeteer he becomes dissolute and nearly finds himself turned into a donkey and he is swallowed by a mean, gigantic whale. The story is familiar even to those who have never seen the movie–a lonely wordworker, Geppetto, crafts a wooden boy and wishes upon a star that the boy could be real. The sticky-sweet romanticism of Snow White is replaced by the love of a father for a son–still sentimental, certainly, but not as gimmicky, and definitely more moving than the prior film.
The story, the music, the animation … each element of Pinocchio contributes to an excellent viewing experience all around. In this film, more so than in its predecessor, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, everything comes together as an overwhelmingly satisfying whole. This week for Saturday Morning Cartoons, we’re taking a look at Walt Disney’s second full-length animated feature–the best production of his animation studio’s early years, in my ever-humble opinion–the wonderfully magical Pinocchio, released by RKO in 1940.
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