What were my Feelings about the Movie before Seeing it?: As I have mentioned in my intro, I have never seen the entirety of Pinocchio before writing this review. However, I am aware that this film is one of the two animated Disney movies that has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and, this year, is turning eighty, which is another crazy thing to think about during this already unpredictable year. Now that I have watched this classic, what do I have to say about it?
My Review of this Film: I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would. When I walked in, I believed it would be alright, and one of those movies that were more well known for its historical impact than enjoyable to watch. Like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the animation is excellent (I’ll talk about some of the highlights later), and the mute animal hero sidekicks, Figaro and Cleo, in this case, are so cute! It’s also really cool to think that this is Figaro’s first appearance knowing that he would later go on to be well known as Minnie Mouse’s cat afterward. I also loved how he had his own little bed, didn’t like Pinocchio’s name at first, and when he was sleeping, he, Geppetto, and Pinocchio had matching nightcaps. Speaking of the mute animal characters, I think Cleo needs a lot of credit for being able to survive and stay in her bowl for the entire movie, especially when you take into consideration what she went through.
I rather like the obstacles that Pinocchio had to go through. Starting with Stromboli, I know many people talk about how dark and Pleasure Island and Monstro are (which I agree with), but are we all going to ignore that Stromboli was going to cut Pinocchio into firewood when he becomes old as he did with that other puppet we saw?!?! Okay, that might just be me, but I was shocked by that plan when I watched that part. I would also like to know what Stromboli was saying in Italian and how accurate it was. Next up is Pleasure Island, widely known by Disney fans as one of the scariest moments in all of Disney. This was another brilliantly done scene starting with showing that Lampwick was rude by having him interrupt Pinocchio rather than saying he was rude, making smoking look AWFUL, Pinocchio enjoying doing naughty deeds, and even the little details, like with the kids falling off of the Ferris wheel in the background. And I know that this opinion is common, but the donkey transformation scene was horrifying and done brilliantly (a lot scarier than the version in my brother’s play or The Emperor’s New Groove llama transformation scene). I think it’s kind of crazy how this movie starts all whimsical and fairytale-like only to get super dark, especially for a G-rated film. Finally, the underwater scene was great for the climax (which was also well done), and I loved the addition of the sea-donkey.
While this film has plenty of high points worth mentioning, this isn’t a perfect movie. My main issue with this film is how most, if not all, the entire conflict could have been avoided if Geppetto walked Pinocchio to school or, at the very least, warned him about stranger danger. Honestly, it seems like irresponsible parenting is a theme of this movie when you also consider all of the kids at Pleasure Island. I understand why Pinocchio needs to prove that he should become a real boy, but I think that the Blue Fairy should maybe test Geppetto and see if he has the responsibility to be a parent. On the topic of Pinocchio, he really should have listened to Jiminy more often, and I feel somewhat bad for Jiminy in the same way you feel for Sebastian in The Little Mermaid.
Now I’d like to talk about some of the highlights of the animation. First up is one of the most iconic scenes from the Pinocchio story, the lying, nose-growing scene. This scene made my nose feel kind of weird, and I did find it somewhat humorous with some of the lies Pinocchio was telling. Like I mentioned earlier, I thought this film did a great job of showing how awful smoking is. However, I do find it interesting how they had Geppetto smoke a pipe in one scene because we see Honest John, Gideon, and the Coachman smoking and Pinocchio not enjoying himself with the activity. But back to the smoking scene, the main reason this moment is so compelling is how Pinocchio turned green and the way he breathed with the cigar. I liked the design of Geppetto’s workshop with all the music boxes and (random thought/opinion) the dinner that Figaro wanted to eat before Geppetto left to try and find Pinocchio.
Final Thoughts after this Viewing: Like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I thought this would be a well-made film that I would think was alright at most. But I enjoyed it more than I thought, and I am happy that I finally sat down and watched it.
Next up is Fantasia!
