Product: Pinocchio
Rating: 5.0
No Lie, This One is a Masterpiece
Pinocchio ranks second on my list of personal favorite Disney feature animations behind Peter Pan and it's one of those stories that will forever be indelibly associated with the world famous studio. This one is a true cinematic fairy tale and like many old fairly tales has a very dark undercurrent. Pinocchio was the second feature length animation from Disney arriving in theaters in early 1940 following Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but it doesn't feel dated in the least thanks to a complete lack of pop references. Despite Disney having very little competition in the way of animation studios at the time it's clear that they challenged themselves to produce some of the most stunning visuals ever. The movements are fluid and the backgrounds are wonderful with the classic Italian village architecture. It has the feel of something crafted by true artistic masters.Pinocchio is a film that moves at its own pace and one of the reasons Peter Pan ranks higher for me is that it keeps things moving briskly. On the other hand Pinocchio's deliberate pace allows the viewer to really take in the atmosphere. It's nearly a half hour before Pinocchio even leaves Geppetto's workshop but what an amazing workshop it is. The animators are justifiably proud of the work they did in designing the workshop including the dozens of cuckoo clocks and music boxes. Even Geppetto wooden bed is marvelously intricate. This is a very immersive movie but it avoids being ponderous. I'd always thought of Pinocchio as being a rather short movie but at 88 minutes it's actually one of the longest Disney feature animations.The best part of Pinocchio is Pinocchio himself. The little wooden boy has the naivety of someone born yesterday because he literally was born yesterday. Minutes after being given life he's delighted when his finger lights on fire while playing with a candle. Even as Geppetto rushes around his workshop to find something to extinguish the flame the grin of wonder never leaves Pinocchio's face. When Pinocchio is freed from the clutches of evil puppet master Stromboli Jiminy Cricket grimly utters, `goodbye, Stromboli', while the villains wagon rides off. Pinocchio responds by waving and cheerfully yelling, `GOODBYE, STROMBOLI!!!' before Jiminy can hush him. There is not a shred of malice in Pinocchio although his ignorance takes a dark turn when he's seduced into some very destructive behavior that nearly leads to his end.I would like to say that is a film suitable for children of all ages but the truth is there are some really disturbing images. Monstro the whale can be frightening but the truly horrific character is `The Coachman' who has to go down as one of the all time most sinister beings in cinematic history. The entire Pleasure Island section is a nightmare of childish self indulgence which features among other things children smoking cigars. I watched this film when I was a child and I don't think it scarred me but I definitely remembered its darkness. I might suggest a child be at least 7 and maybe even a little older. What `The Coachman' does to the children can definitely inspire some bad dreams in kids. The darkness of the movie is not a complaint it's just a reality. From the animation to the songs to the story and voice acting this movie is near perfection. If you have a Disney collection Pinocchio is a must.