Product: Pinocchio
Rating: 5.0
Among Disney's Best
As a kid, I didn't pay much attention to "Pinocchio". I did appreciate it as great Disney classic but preferred to watch "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast" for the millionth time instead. Last year, I felt a sudden urge to watch it and experience it as an adult. And indeed, the difference was enormous. So many aspects of the film that I overlooked years earlier have now caught my attention.Story - Pinocchio is one of Disney's darker films, both visually and story-wise. Like many of Disney's old classics, it's not at all about cutesy animals. There are many somber sequences here. Actually, I can think of a handful of moments that wouldn't shame a horror film: the coachman bribing Honest John to draw little boys to Pleasure Island; the little boys turning into donkeys; Pinocchio locked in a birdcage, etc.Music - "When You Wish Upon A Star" is the obvious standout here. The whole soundtrack is powerful. I especially like the music accompanying their arrival to Pleasure Island.Animation - perhaps "Pinocchio"'s strongest point. You'd be hard-pressed to believe it's a 70-year old film you're looking at. The picture is often breathtaking, with dark, brownish hues and a lot of depth. The multiplane camera, which would become too expensive to devise in subsequent decades, is in full gear here. Pinocchio is truly elaborate on the visual side. I have watched the Blu-Ray version and while I agree that over-saturating the characters make them seem a little out-of-place in the inherently dark backgrounds, it still didn't ruin my experience of the film. But they did go a TAD too far.Pinocchio is considered by many to be the crown-jewel of Walt's years and I can certainly see why. It uses all the aspects that make a Disney classic timeless to the best possible way. Now I feel like watching it again.