PINOCCHIO (1940)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Adventure / Animated / Fantasy / Musical

Director: Hamilton Luske / Ben Sharpsteen

Cast: Dickie Jones / Cliff Edwards / Christian Rubb

Plot

Given life by a fairy, marionette boy Pinocchio dreams of becoming a real boy, but first must prove himself worthy by showing he can be good and honest.

What I Liked

I can’t help but marvel at the thought of how many people had to work to put together a movie like this in 1940.  I hesitate to use the word sensuous to describe a children’s movie for fear that the term’s true meaning be misconstrued.  However “Pinocchio” is absolutely a delight for the senses.  Lushly painted and imaginative settings, wonderfully drawn characters, exciting action, and one absolutely classic song after another keep this film a genuine spectacle more than seventy years after its release.  CGI and computer animation have their benefits, but for sheer beauty and grandeur, not many animated children’s adventures to this day could compete with this, one of Disney’s greatest triumphs.

Maybe more important to its longstanding success than even the visuals and songs are the irresistible characters.  It may be corny to say it, but Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, and Geppetto are all so vibrant and happy-go-lucky that their enthusiasm for life just becomes infectious.

As for the music, well it's tough to think of another musical in which every single song became a standard.  “When You Wish Upon a Star” debuted here.  You’d be hard pressed to think of a movie song that tops it in terms of melody and beauty.  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” maybe.  If you ask me, for visuals and music combined, the “I’ve Got No Strings” sequence is an even more enjoyable moment.  Care-free and wonderfully innocent, Pinocchio’s on-stage romp is not only fun to watch, it is a marvelous little piece of technical animation as well. And oh yeah,  "Always Let You Conscience Be Your Guide" is here too.

By the way, a bunch of kids sitting around smoking, drinking, and playing pool in a kids’ Disney movie?  They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.  Uptight moms everywhere would collectively implode with indignation.

What I Didn’t Like

“Pinocchio” certainly has an overall innocence to it that just comes across as badly outdated when looked at with too much of a critical eye.  But who cares?  Honestly, the goofy over-sentimentality and aww-shucks enthusiasm is really all part of the fun.

I’m not a huge fans of musicals or overly-sentimental movies, but I can’t in good conscience find a single thing here worth criticizing.

Most Memorable Scene

The entire ocean sequence, from Pinocchio’s thrilling dive off of a cliff to the underwater stroll to Monstro the Whale’s freight train charge are all absolutely stunning.  Don’t let the underwater sequence pass you by without pausing to remember that this was only the second feature-length animated film ever made (after “Snow White”).  There may be a lot about the bubbly-voices, friendly fish, and hazy visuals that seem cliché for underwater animation now.  But in “Pinocchio” all of these ideas were unprecedented and the filmmakers’ display of them impressive enough to become definitive.

My Rating: 5 out of 5