Pinocchio (1940)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Blistering performances.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is by far my favorite "Disney" film. I was a small child when I first saw this at the Drive-in with my family in 1971. It is still one of my favorite childhood memories. This film is about a puppet coming to life. He is aided by a cricket who is his conscience. If "Pinocchio" acts brave worthy and unselfish he will then become a real boy. His journey to become a real boy is feast for your "eyes and ears"This film is a masterpiece. Any frame of the film you could blow up and hang as art. There are not many "perfect" films however "Pinocchio" is one of the few that are perfect.

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 animation is just incredible. It is hard to believe that it is made in 1940. I thought it is from 1960s or 1970s. The plot is shattered. Act 2, 3 and 4 tell three disjoint stories, which help the growth of Pinocchio. I think it may be better if the film can tell a more complete and nuanced story, instead of three small and sketchy stories.Some details are particularly interesting. For instance, Jiminy moves his eyeballs according to the ticks of the clocks.

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.