Two years ago today I decided to venture into territory that was both unknown and very familiar to me- by watching every single Disney Animated Classic.
Loyal readers by now will be all to aware of the few peaks and many troughs I have experienced in my unnecessary quest, and that is why today I decided to review a movie that hold incredibly close to my heart.
So, for my 33rd foray into the Disney Canon, I chose to watch and review:
Pinocchio (1940)
Disney Animated Classic Number 2
Starring: Dickie Jones, Cliff Edwards, Christian Rub, Evelyn Venable, Charles Judels & Walter Catlett
Directed by: Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney & Bill Roberts
Rating: ★★★½
I must begin this Disney Daze by saying that Pinocchio was one of my absolute favourite films when I was a child. I loved it. I used to watch it all the time. But sadly, on my journey to watch every single Disney Animated Classic, I knew that there would be causalities. And unfortunately, Pinocchio is one of them.
Clearly, since I awarded it three and a half stars, it wasn’t dreadful. It’s still a watchable movie, if only for the animation and quirky songs. But I was expecting to give Pinocchio five out of five. I wanted to give Pinocchio five out of five. But unfortunately, it ain’t perfect, even though I remembered it being so.
And it is this classic song that Jiminy sings over the opening credits. As a child, I never realised that:
1) Jiminy is a vagrant who just so happens to stumble into Geppetto’s workshop by accident, and is promoted to ‘conscience’ by the Blue Fairy and
2) that he is actually the one telling the story.
This introduction clearly went over my head, as instead I was more fascinated by the rather delightful and elaborate toy shop full of cuckoo clocks. Even after three minutes, it is clear that Pinocchio is wonderfully rich in stunning detail. The cuckoo clocks are beautiful, funny and extraordinary: I loved them as a child and I love them now.
The next day, Geppetto begins his role as a negligent father by not taking his son to school, as he expects him to know the way, and he also fails to tell Pinocchio anything about life or common sense. He also doesn’t think about the fact that other people in the village may find it strange that an animated puppet is skipping down the street. Because of this, it isn’t technically Pinocchio’s fault when he is kidnapped by an anthropomorphic fox deceptively named Honest John (Catlett). In a strange pre-emptive echoing of contemporary society, Honest John convinces Pinocchio that he doesn’t need to go to school because the easy way to success is fame.
How pertinently ironic. Disney was way ahead of the game.
After singing another memorable ditty, Stromboli, an awful I-talian stereotype forces Pinocchio to sing and dance on stage with other puppets, and then locks him in a cage and promises to kill him when he has outlived his usefulness. He demonstrates this by throwing an axe into a lifeless dummy.
There’s a reason why children are terrified of this movie, and regrettably, the worst is still to come.
Jiminy saves Pinocchio and then the most iconic moment in the entire film takes place- when Pinocchio lies to the Blue Fairy and his nose grows. Everyone loves this part, and I never knew that, as the Fairy explains, his nose grows because if he keeps telling lies then they 'grow until they become as plain as the nose on your face'. I never comprehended how moralistic Pinocchio was, and the Blue Fairy gets the most jarring but brilliantly written didactic lines, including one that could be in an awesomely awful Schwarzenegger action movie:
I remember it being spectacular. Re-watching it as an adult, and with my critic’s cap on, I realised that it isn’t. It’s a film that, when revisited, just doesn’t hold up to the high standards that I had set for it.
 |
| He's got no strings to hold him down... |
Clearly, since I awarded it three and a half stars, it wasn’t dreadful. It’s still a watchable movie, if only for the animation and quirky songs. But I was expecting to give Pinocchio five out of five. I wanted to give Pinocchio five out of five. But unfortunately, it ain’t perfect, even though I remembered it being so.
 |
| Cleo the Goldfish adds some tender moments to an otherwise horrifying experience... |
Based on a rather more disturbing Italian story by Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio is about a puppet brought to life by a magical Blue Fairy (Venable). Assisted by vagabond Jiminy Cricket (Edwards), Pinocchio (Jones) must make sure he steers clear of temptation to earn the right to one day become a real human child. His grossly negligent father Geppetto (Rub) is no help whatsoever, and as soon as Pinocchio leaves his house, he is sold to an evil puppeteer named Stromboli (Judels), and this is when all his adventures horrifying nightmares begin.
 |
| Get ready- the nightmare has only just begun! |
After the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney began developing Bambi, but due to technical problems with the animation of the animals, that film was put on hold, and Pinocchio was pushed to the fore. Watching it now, it is patently obvious that the movie suffered development problems, as the writers had major issues with adapting the story into a coherent narrative and with characterising Pinocchio. Disney was very unhappy with the direction the film was headed, so he stopped production until the animators got Pinocchio correct- and they did this by creating a child that is also puppet, rather than a puppet that is also a child. Disney also tried to resolve the problems with the plot by adding Jiminy Cricket in as a moral conscience and narrator. In the original story, the cricket is killed by Pinocchio and then comes back to haunt him, so has a much less significant part to play. Disney wanted Jiminy to be voiced by a celebrity to gain a larger audience, and so gave him a main role and the iconic song ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’.
 |
| Poor Jiminy doesn't make it in the book- but luckily for him, he survives this encounter with the mischievous marionette |
And it is this classic song that Jiminy sings over the opening credits. As a child, I never realised that:
1) Jiminy is a vagrant who just so happens to stumble into Geppetto’s workshop by accident, and is promoted to ‘conscience’ by the Blue Fairy and
2) that he is actually the one telling the story.
This introduction clearly went over my head, as instead I was more fascinated by the rather delightful and elaborate toy shop full of cuckoo clocks. Even after three minutes, it is clear that Pinocchio is wonderfully rich in stunning detail. The cuckoo clocks are beautiful, funny and extraordinary: I loved them as a child and I love them now.
 |
| The superb detail of the Cuckoo Clocks are a highlight of the movie |
Jiminy breaks into the toy shop to get out of the cold, and there he watches Geppetto dance and sing with his ‘little wooden head’ puppet; Geppetto’s cat Figaro and goldfish Cleo join in on the antics. Straight off the bat, Geppetto foreshadows his poor parenting skills by having Pinocchio kick Figaro up the arse so that he falls down a step. As a child, I found this funny. As an adult, I find it cruel. If someone kicked my cat, I wouldn’t be laughing.
 |
| Figaro works as Geppetto's slave, and is abused by him... |
Geppetto then goes to bed, and forces Figaro to open the window for him. What did his last slave die of? To be honest, I don't want to know. The old codger then prays to the brightest star in the sky, wishing that his puppet would become real. Once he falls asleep the Blue Fairy appears and grants his wish: even after seeing the way he treats his cat, she still thinks that he’ll be a good parent. Highly illogical decision making shown by the Blue Fairy, but regardless, once Pinocchio awakens she tells him that he will only be a real boy if he proves himself to be brave, truthful and unselfish and can choose between right and wrong.
Since Pinocchio is made of wood, he doesn’t quite understand this, so after Jiminy butts into the conversation and has a go at him, he is promoted to the role of Pinocchio’s conscience. Jiminy then asks for a solid gold medal, but the Blue Fairy laughs off his request, and then warns Pinocchio that he must be a good boy and let his conscience guide him. Jiminy and Pinocchio sing a song about this, which wakes up Geppetto and Figaro, who hilariously jumps up Geppetto’s night gown in fright at seeing a talking marionette.
And I don’t blame him.
Since Pinocchio is made of wood, he doesn’t quite understand this, so after Jiminy butts into the conversation and has a go at him, he is promoted to the role of Pinocchio’s conscience. Jiminy then asks for a solid gold medal, but the Blue Fairy laughs off his request, and then warns Pinocchio that he must be a good boy and let his conscience guide him. Jiminy and Pinocchio sing a song about this, which wakes up Geppetto and Figaro, who hilariously jumps up Geppetto’s night gown in fright at seeing a talking marionette.
And I don’t blame him.
 |
| The Blue Fairy makes Geppetto's wish come true... |
The next day, Geppetto begins his role as a negligent father by not taking his son to school, as he expects him to know the way, and he also fails to tell Pinocchio anything about life or common sense. He also doesn’t think about the fact that other people in the village may find it strange that an animated puppet is skipping down the street. Because of this, it isn’t technically Pinocchio’s fault when he is kidnapped by an anthropomorphic fox deceptively named Honest John (Catlett). In a strange pre-emptive echoing of contemporary society, Honest John convinces Pinocchio that he doesn’t need to go to school because the easy way to success is fame.
How pertinently ironic. Disney was way ahead of the game.
 |
| "Audition for The X Factor Pinocchio! Or The Voice! You'll never have to work if you're famous!" |
After singing another memorable ditty, Stromboli, an awful I-talian stereotype forces Pinocchio to sing and dance on stage with other puppets, and then locks him in a cage and promises to kill him when he has outlived his usefulness. He demonstrates this by throwing an axe into a lifeless dummy.
There’s a reason why children are terrified of this movie, and regrettably, the worst is still to come.
Jiminy saves Pinocchio and then the most iconic moment in the entire film takes place- when Pinocchio lies to the Blue Fairy and his nose grows. Everyone loves this part, and I never knew that, as the Fairy explains, his nose grows because if he keeps telling lies then they 'grow until they become as plain as the nose on your face'. I never comprehended how moralistic Pinocchio was, and the Blue Fairy gets the most jarring but brilliantly written didactic lines, including one that could be in an awesomely awful Schwarzenegger action movie:
“A boy who won’t be good, might as well be made of wood.”
 |
| Pleasure Island is one of the most disturbing, haunting moments in cinema history... |
This warning foreshadows the next part of the movie: the part that will forever haunt many childhood memories. An evil Cockney Coachman convinces Honest John to get Pinocchio to Pleasure Island- a place where naughty little boys can indulge in bad behaviour, and includes highlights such as Tobacco Row, The Rough House and A Model Home open for destruction. After Pinocchio has beaten up some other children, he states that being bad is fun.
He’ll regret saying that.
He’ll regret saying that.
 |
| Smoking doesn't make you cool, Pinocchio. |
I’m sure that every little boy would love to go to Pleasure Island- not just the naughty ones. Isn’t it normal for children to like a little bit of rough play? Regardless of this, the moral guardians who wrote the story decided that all children who aren’t well behaved deserve a fate worse than death- and so the boys horrifically transform into donkeys. This moment is truly terrifying and is completely unnecessary. The naughty boys don’t deserve to be sold to salt mines and circuses, and when the donkeys speak and cry it’s really unnerving. What the hell is this part all about? It’s really messed up and when you really think about it… it’s too horrendous to even comprehend. It also doesn’t make sense, as I would hope that in real life if hundreds of boys mysteriously vanished from small towns across Italy, something would be done about it.
 |
| Poor Lampwick suffers a fate worse than death... |
This entire segment at Pleasure Island has some very visually memorable moments- including Lampwich drinking beer and then transforming and Pinocchio smoking until his eyes fill up with water and his face turns green. It’s these little touches that make Pinocchio so instantly remarkable. It’s also all these little details that make it so frightening. I did not remember the black, faceless monsters who help load the donkeys into crates. As if this nightmare couldn’t get any worse, furry monster slaves are assisting a mad Cockney geezer enslave small children!
What the f*** are they all about?
There’s a reason why kids think that monsters live under their beds- and it is all due to Pinocchio. I’m pretty sure that Pinocchio is the basis of all of my fears and phobias, as I accidentally registered these monsters into my subconscious, and now they are there forever haunting me.
I think I need to start a support group, as I’m sure that other people have or will one day come to this realisation too.
What the f*** are they all about?
There’s a reason why kids think that monsters live under their beds- and it is all due to Pinocchio. I’m pretty sure that Pinocchio is the basis of all of my fears and phobias, as I accidentally registered these monsters into my subconscious, and now they are there forever haunting me.
I think I need to start a support group, as I’m sure that other people have or will one day come to this realisation too.
 |
| Poor Pinocchio doesn't deserve this nightmare- nor does the audience! |
Months later, I assume, Pinocchio and Jiminy return home to be told by the Blue Fairy that Geppetto has unrealistically and inexplicably been swallowed whole by a whale called Monstro. So the two go underwater (where they can both somehow survive) and meet lots of colourful fish. Eventually they find Monstro and go inside his mouth to discover Gepetto, Cleo and Figaro on a boat in the monster’s stomach. This entire sequence is the best, most unforgettable and visually stunning part of the entire movie. As a child, I always loved both the underwater creatures and Monstro, and I still love them now. It looks amazing, and is so brilliantly animated that it makes your mind boggle just thinking about how much work it took to animate something this fantastic. In spite of the terrible scientific problems, all to do with the whale, such as the fact that it has no internal organs, can swallow a boat whole and moves like a locomotive, Monstro is still the scene stealing star of the show. The escape and chase is brilliant, but when we see Pinocchio lying face down in a lagoon- it’s very disquieting.
One thing I don’t understand is that he survived not drowning when he walked along the bottom of the sea, but then drowned after his encounter with Monstro. Its mind bending illogical continuity problems like this that show that the story has some serious issues.
 |
| PINOCCHIO! (DUN) |
One thing I don’t understand is that he survived not drowning when he walked along the bottom of the sea, but then drowned after his encounter with Monstro. Its mind bending illogical continuity problems like this that show that the story has some serious issues.
 |
| Monstro moves like a train... why? Because it's f***ed up and sh*t scary...! |
Anyway, after Geppetto cries for the puppet that he didn’t actually take care of, the Blue Fairy turns Pinocchio into a real boy, since he’s proven himself, and in all fairness to the puppet, he was tricked by an evil fox and did have a really shitty father.
Anyone who kicks a cat is a bastard.
Anyone who kicks a cat is a bastard.
 |
| Geppetto doesn't deserve a happy ending, but Pinocchio does! |
And in pure sentimental style, Jiminy, who hasn’t really been much help to Pinocchio on his fragmented quest as he continuously gave up and ran away, is rewarded with a solid gold medal that reads ‘Official Conscience’. When You Wish Upon A Star is reprised, and everyone feels gooey inside.
 |
| Oh Jiminy... when will you ever learn We'll see you again in another frightening outing involving dummies... |
Despite winning awards, and now being regarded as one of the best animated movies of all time, Pinocchio was not financially successfully at the box office- mainly due to World War Two cutting off overseas markets. After re-releases, Pinocchio finally found the success it deserves and is now embedded into the collective consciousness of every unfortunate child in the Western world.
 |
| He's a real boy- but at what price?? |
I’m not going to lie: I was sad after I watched Pinocchio. It was ruined by my own over-developed knowledge of narrative theory. It has some seriously terrible plot holes, a very weak narrative and an incredibly disjointed and clunky structure. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great movie. The sum of all the parts are equal to the whole, and in Pinocchio’s case, that couldn’t be more true. The animation, as well as the visually stunning and memorable nuances, all contribute to making it a beloved classic. The story may be poor, but I still hold a place for it in my heart, as the little moments make it great. I’ll never forget the cuckoo clocks or the puppet show or the songs or Monstro or the Magic 8 ball. They’ll be a part of me forever- and that is the magic of Disney.
 |
| I'll never forget the terror- and the nightmares caused by it... |
One thing that is really strange, watching it as an adult, is how moralistic it is. It really forces its agenda onto the viewer, and in such a frightening way that it practically scares you into submission. Funnily enough, I was never really afraid of Pinocchio as a child, since I enjoyed it and was surprisingly not terrified by the donkey scene and Monstro.
But perhaps that was because I was always a good little boy.
But perhaps that was because I was always a good little boy.
0 Yorumlar