Product: Pinocchio
Rating: 4.0
NO strings except that you don't get the extras on disc two in standard DVD unless you get the standard DVD package.
Pinocchio is largely hailed as one of Walt Disney's most masterly creations, and one of the all time great movies, period. The animation is astonishingly fluid, evocative and filled with true character. The music has set standards that are still used today, including the use of an electronic instrument for a magical effect. The story is unforgettable -- and pretty scary in spots.As the generous bonus material explains, it was not a huge success in its initial release and several reasons are speculated upon. I would venture that it is also more of a "boy" story than a "girl" one, and Disney has always had better luck with the more romantic animated features. But who knows. It's certainly earned its keep by now, many times over, and comes to DVD and Blu-Ray disc in a new multi-disc edition.A friend of mine with a Blu-Ray player highly recommends this version (you mean YOU don't have a Blu-Ray Player??") The image is spectacular, as it was in the Sleeping Beauty Blu-Ray, so much so that you can even make out the painter's brush strokes!If you get the Blu-Ray version, you still get a standard DVD with the Audio Commentary by Leonard Maltin and master animator Eric Goldberg. It's as knowledgable and interesting as you might expect, though I do wonder whehter the claim that Mel Blanc's only Disney work was the omitted voice of Gideon -- isn't he Cousin Orville in the Carousel of Progress, or is that J. Pat O'Malley?Anyway, you do not get the second disc in standard DVD format unless you buy the standard DVD package, so the choice is up to you depending on your need for extras and if you are looking to transition to Blu-Ray.One little piece of trivia not found anywhere on the discs: you can hear a few notes of the deleted song, "Three Cheers for Anything" in the scene in which the boys sail for Pleasure Island. Our way of saying thanks for readiing this review!