Product: Pinocchio
Rating: 5.0
Great Movies- Pinocchio (1940)
1940 could possibly be the best year for animation, for it saw the release of two of the greatest animated films ever made: "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia", two of Walt Disney's masterpieces. Is either film better than the other? It's almost impossible to compare them because both films are so different from the other.When it comes to fear and terror, there is no animated film that is scarier than "Pinocchio." Sure, there are several scary moments in "Fantasia" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", but neither film is as practical or as frightening as "Pinocchio."Seeing the film again last night for about the 3rd or 4th time, I was struck by what a great film it is. It could be called the most beautiful animated film in history, with its all of its artwork being beautifully hand-drawn (as were most of the films up until probably "The Jungle Book"). With the aid of computer technology, Disney returned to the great art form of beautiful hand-drawn animation with the standouts being "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King."But other than its artwork, I was struck by the story. "Pinocchio" is a beautiful fable that teaches a valuable moral lesson. It starts out with the creation of the puppet by Geppetto, and because the woodcutter is a kind person, his puppet comes to life. But to become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove himself brave, loyal, and unselfish, and he sets out to become real.The mistake is made early in the film by Geppetto to send his boy to school without teaching him basic skills. Pinocchio came to life as a mindless blockhead, so he doesn't know the dangers of the world. As soon as the con artists Honest John the fox and Gideon the Cat see him, they easily persuade and corrupt the puppet's mind, taking him to be an actor instead of school.This is where a conscience comes in handy. Pinocchio's is in the form of a cricket named Jiminy (who has overtime grown to be almost as significant as Mickey Mouse himself), who is easily angered when his advice is taken for granted. Pinocchio doesn't realize this, and it is too late to call on Jiminy when Stromboli locks Pinocchio in a cage. When the fairy that brought Pinocchio to life visits him and asks for the truth, the puppet spits out lies, and in one of the most imaginative aspects of any film, his nose grows and grows. She tells him that a boy who lies and won't do good might just as well be made of wood. She helps him escape that one time.As the duo head home, Pinocchio is shanghaied by the con artists to Pleasure Island, where boys smoke, drink, eat, and play pool all day and all for free. The island though, is a curse, which recycles bad boys who skip school into donkeys where they are sent to the salt mines and the circus.It is at Pleasure Island where Walt Disney's visions of fear and terror come to life. It speaks about our reality today. Kids who skip school and have fun all day will grow up with a poor job (if they are lucky enough to get one) and a miserable life.As Pinocchio and Jiminy escape, they find that Geppetto has gone to look for his boy, and that he has been swallowed by Monstro the Whale. As the duo find the woodcutter, Pinocchio devises a plan of escape, and in one of the most impressive animated sequences of all time, they escape Monstro, and Pinocchio saves his father and finally becomes a real boy.Unlike most animated films, "Pinocchio" is not a mindless fairy tale, but a parable with strong moral values. Only "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" could match the strength of the story of "Pinocchio", which teaches kids to be and do good. It teaches us to avoid temptations. When kids are presented with them, the kids show their true weaknesses, and will give into them, as Pinocchio did twice.I have no need to discuss the music in the film, which is only rivaled by "Beauty and the Beast", "The Lion King", and "The Little Mermaid."So what is the moral value of "Pinocchio"? As the Blue Fairy says at the very beginning of the film, "Be a good boy, and always let your conscience be your guide."To quote Roger Ebert: "And that's no lie."