Pinocchio (Full Screen)

 

 

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I remember "Pinocchio" as being the first Disney movie I ever saw, although a half-century later such memories might be suspect, although I am pretty sure that the main thing I remember walking out of the movie theater way back when was Monstro the Whale. My main impression this time was that the animation is rougher than I recalled. Of course this makes perfect sense, because this 1940 movie is the first full-length animated film that Disney released after "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," although the studio was working on "Bambi" at the same time. But in my mind I had the level of animation being more akin to what we see in "Cinderella." But compare the level of animation here with "Steamboat Willie," the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, and you can see the quantum leap that Disney had already taken in the field. When the American Film Institute did its "Ten Top Ten" lists, "Pinocchio" was number two on the list after "Snow White," a judgment that reflects the monumental historical importance of that first cartoon movie, because judged by creative standards "Pinocchio" is the superior film.

Watching "Pinocchio" again and going through all of the bonus features on this 70th anniversary Platinum Edition DVD served to reinforce the idea that Walt Disney was a genius, a fact that needs to be driven home to those generation of Disney fans who have been born after his death and do not remember him hosting "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights. The two things that stood out to me where the fact that when Walt took that first big gamble with "Snow White" (critics the colors are too bright, they will hurt people's eyes to watch a cartoon that runs an hour), he already had his new two animated features in the pipeline, and that he insisted the songs in his movies move the story along. Both of those ideas are taken for granted today, but you have to put things in the context of the times. Walt Disney is the Moses who gets animation from "Gertie the Dinosaur" to the latest computer animated effort from the folks at Pixar. The mantle might have been passed, but let's not forget who the person responsible for the mantle.

Kids might like the Games & Activities included on the second disc in this set and may even recognize Meaghan Jette Martin, who sings the updated version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" in the requisite music video (Sorry, nothing tops Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket singing that particular song). For me the attraction is all of the Bakcstage Disney materials, with the Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scens and Alternat Ending, the All-New "Making of 'Pinocchio'" featurette and the proverbial "Much, Much More!" From the start, these Platinum Editions from Disney have been designed to cater to those of us who want to be more than casual fans of these classic full-length cartoons. When they began putting these out the gold standard in DVD extras were the Criterion Collection films, but these Disney Platinum Editions routinely exceed those efforts. We would be happy just to have this film on DVD, but Disney is committed to preserving its legacy by treating these classic films like cinematic heirlooms. I have not seen a Disney Plantinum Edition that was not worth owning, and if for some reason you felt compelled to limit yourself to only five of them, then "Pinocchio" would have to be one of those five. Actually, I think if you only had one of them, this would be the one (although "

The name Disney has always carried the stigma of wholesomeness, which all too often translates into fatuous and insipid "family entertainment," but the Pleasure Island segment of Pinocchio ranks among the supreme moments of horror in all of cinema - the loss of the self is so much more greusome than death. Worth having for that brilliant and ghastly scene alone.

Note: The review that follows is of the 70th Anniversary edition that includes Blu-ray and DVD discs.

I first saw Pinocchio soon after it appeared on movie screens in 1939 and have since seen it more than a dozen times. Based on Carlo Collodi's children's classic, it remains my favorite Disney animated feature, the first to be released as a DVD and is now available in both Blu-ray and High Definition, also for the first time. It has never looked better. The two-disc Platinum 70th Anniversary Edition supplements the 88-minute film with a wealth of bonus features that include never-before-seen deleted scenes, a never-before-seen alternative ending, the "Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge," "Pleasure Island Carnival Games," the "No Strings Attached" featurette on making the film, and an audio commentary by Leonard Maltin (film critic and historian), Eric Goldberg (Disney animator and director), and J.B. Kaufman (film historian and author). These bonus features are indeed special.

As is also true of so many later Disney animated features (notably Dumbo in 1941, Bambi in 1942, Peter Pan in 1953, and Beauty and the Beast in 1991), the film Pinocchio examines several themes that include a child's or children's separation from loved ones, efforts to reunite them, serious (sometimes life-threatening) dangers to be overcome, lessons learned from all the struggles, and of course the happy ending. Of course, children's reactions to Pinocchio will vary depending upon age. (My ten grandchildren range from two to 17.) Younger ones may become upset by certain scenes, as when the little boys on Pleasure Island become donkeys, but "children of all ages" - including parents and grandparents - will thoroughly enjoy the musical score as well as Jiminy Cricket whose voice is provided by Cliff Edwards. This is one of Disney's loveliest and most charming films. In a survey conducted by the American Film Institute in 2008, Pinocchio was ranked #2 among the ten greatest animated features. (Note: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was #1, then Pinocchio, followed by Bambi, The Lion King, Fantasia, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Cinderella, and Finding Nemo.) It will be interesting to see how the rankings change in years to come as other excellent animated features (e.g. Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Bolt) begin to attract more attention and appreciation.

I look forward to watching Pinocchio for many more years to come, hopefully with great grandchildren and their parents as well as friends. My guess is that, however technologically advanced our society has become by then, the magic dust of Disney's animated film classics will continue to be as potent as ever.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pinocchio-70th Anniversary Platinum Edition
Excellent children's movie. Fun to watch! Disney does a fantastic job in retelling this story from its Italian version. The animation was well thought out.

Published 5 months ago by Mara

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Pleased with quick delivery and product.
I received this item the very next day after ordering it. I was so pleased and couldn't beleive how fast I received it. Item is in great condition. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Banana

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fast delivery
Received the product within a week of ordering it. Very suprised and impressed with how fast it got here. Product (Blu-ray) was in perfect condition.

Published 17 months ago by jpenney14

5.0 out of 5 stars Pinocchio
Hi All You Disney Fans Out There, As you all Know Walt Disney's Pinocchio Is One Of The Best Classic Disney Films Of All Time, But You Must Get This DVD, The picture is so much... Read more

Published on July 6 2009 by Adrian george Holland

5.0 out of 5 stars Pinocho Edición canadiense
Excelente edición cuenta con audio y subtitulos en Español en los discos blu-ray y en el DVD de regalo, con una presentación en slipcover como la... Read more

Published on April 23 2009 by Alejandro Gonzalez

5.0 out of 5 stars Un des plus grands classique de Dinsey renaît :-)
Disney a restauré ce classique de tous les temps à sa brillance. Les thèmes universels de l'amour, la famille, l'amitié et le bien contre le mal et de... Read more

Published on Mar 11 2009 by C. Lafontaine

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece Pinocchio by Luske Hamilton and Ben Sharpsteen
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you

are, anything you heart desires will come to you. Read more

Published on Jun 26 2004 by GreatMovieCriticRobertfromUS

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Will Set You Free
Almost all Disney movies are based on dreams that became a reality in the end. Here in this movie Gepetto (Wood Carver) who wished for Pinocchio to become a real boy. Read more

Published on Jun 1 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars The Puppet Show
This certainly is not one of my favorite Disney movies. I just really didn't get in to the movie I guess but then I never really cared for this Fairy Tale either. Read more

Published on May 10 2004 by Ametisti

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Entertainment With No Strings Attached!
The TV Guide called this gem "arguably, the best animated feature of all time," that's a little hyped up if you ask me (but still, Pinocchio gets 4. Read more

Published on May 4 2004 by Debi Crabtree

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