The second ever made of Walt Disney’s famous films, “Pinocchio” is based on the book by Carlo Collodi. Having read the book, I find the movie to be much more child-friendly. The original was never meant to be a child’s story and dealt with some harsh themes, such as starvation and Pinocchio’s eventual hanging. It’s been changed quite a bit since it first appeared.
Pinocchio is a wooden marionette carved by Geppetto, an elderly woodcarver who has always longed for a son. He carefully crafts the puppet, and then says that he wished Pinocchio could be a real boy. The kind Blue Fairy takes pity on Geppetto and transforms Pinocchio into a moving, talking version of his former self, along with the promise that if he’s good, he can someday become a real boy. The Fairy gives Pinocchio a few other gifts, as well – a nose that grows when he tells a lie, and a cricket to be his conscience, dressed in a natty green jacket and named Jiminy.
It’s a pretty hard job to be a conscience, as Jiminy finds out! Pinocchio seems determined to get in all the trouble he can. If he’s not hanging around with a wily wolf with an evil scheme, he’s running off with Lampwick, a mischievous child who wants nothing in his life but pleasure. After spending most of the movie confused and misled, Pinocchio manages to make sense of it all and is granted that most precious gift – that of becoming a real boy and a son to Geppetto.
My favorite characters in this film are Figaro and Cleo, the black and white kitty and the goldfish. Jiminy also holds a place in my heart, but I’m sorry to say this film never really did do a lot for me. Even though Disney softened the themes from the original, parts of it are still quite dark. It does remain a favorite of Disney fans to this day, however, historically as well as culturally.
This film is rated G.
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