Pinocchio

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Cartoon

Pinocchio, 1940

The Plot

A toymaker creates a wooden boy who later comes to life and earns the right to be a real, live boy!

Starring

Dickie Jones, Cliff Edwards, Christian Rub, Charles Judles, Evelyn Venable, Frankie Darro, Walter Catlett, Don Brodie, and more.

The Review

I still cannot believe that Disney’s version of Pinocchio has been out for 70 years. The first time I watched Pinocchio, I must have been eight or nine. Back then, we watched Disney films in theatres and drive-ins and later on Disney’s Sunday Family Nights (on channel 7). Every time I watched one of Walt Disney’s masterpieces, I felt as though the whole world was full of magic and that anything was possible.

So it’s no surprise that I took a real liking to Pinocchio. How could any child not love the story about a lonely toymaker who wishes upon a star and gets his wish? How many children have looked up into the night skies themselves and made similar wishes? Well, maybe not for a child of their own, but for something just as important in their own little worlds. And then to discover that the toymaker’s wish had come true…well, that gave every child hope.

But as an adult, what really caught my attention was the fact that while Pinocchio had been given the chance at life, he had to earn the right to become a real, live boy. The choices he made between right and wrong would dictate the final outcome of the toymaker’s wish. If he was good enough, Pinocchio would become a real, live boy and stay with the toymaker forever. He would be able to attend school, to eat real foods, to walk without strings, to make friends, to grow up, to dream, to work, to live. But, if he chose the wrong path, and depending on the severity of that path, Pinocchio would have to face some dire consequences—consequences that would cost him his life with his “Father”, the toymaker by keeping him a wooden boy forever or causing him to be turned back into a lifeless puppet.

Throughout the film Pinocchio’s life was filled with lots of ups and downs. For every bit of good he did, there was some sort of bad that had to be forgiven. And that’s what made, and still makes, Pinocchio a true treasure. He wasn’t perfect. The magic that gave him a chance at life as a real boy didn’t make him perfect. He didn’t instantly know right from wrong, he didn’t instantly do all the right things, and he wasn’t’ always on his best behavior. And sometimes, he was selfish and only thought about his wants and needs and not that of his father’s or those around him. He was just like any other child on the face of the earth. He made mistakes. He had faults. He made wrong choices. And he had to learn what being a good boy was truly about. It wasn’t easy, but in the end, he discovered that you don’t have to be perfect to be a good boy. You just have to choose good over evil.

As magical as Pinocchio is, what I love best about the film, as a parent, is the subliminal message that says, “Dreams can come true if you believe hard enough and worked hard enough” and oh yea, “you don’t have to be perfect, either!”

It truly is a timeless classic that will never grow old. To this day, I still marvel at the magic that takes place every time we watch Pinocchio. And while I am very disappointed in the fact that only the Blu-ray® disc has bonus features, I am grateful that the 70th anniversary edition also comes with an all-new digitally restored DVD! Because I’ve yet to switch over to Blu-ray® and quite honestly, my VHS has been on its last leg for quite awhile. (Yes, that’s how old I am—don’t rub it in.)

The Blu-ray® bonus features include: a recently uncovered set of small storyboard panels that reveal plans for a different ending, the history of Walt’s “Sweatbox”, deleted songs, the making of Pinocchio, games, and more.

Your Task

Throughout the film, Pinocchio has to choose between lying and telling the truth. Each time he lied, his wooden nose grew. Each time he told the truth, it shrank. This alone is a perfect example of what can happen when one lies. It’s the perfect illustration for helping children understand how one lie told upon another lie only grows and grows until one day, it grows so big that it destroys things around them—like relationships and trust. If your child has had a problem with lying, watch Pinocchio with him (or her), then when it’s over talk about Pinocchio’s lying and how it effected his life. Then ask your child if he’s ever lied and if he remembers what happened when the truth came out.