Pinocchio's Christmas (1980)

It's Pinocchio's first Christmas, and he sells the book Geppetto gives him for present money, but Cat and Fox trick him out of it. So, Pinocchio becomes part of a (Christmas) Marionette ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

Carlo Collodi (novel), Romeo Muller

Stars:

Alan King, George S. Irving, Bob McFadden

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan King	...	Maestro Fire-Eater (voice)
George S. Irving	...	Geppetto (voice)
Bob McFadden	...	Cricket (voice) (as Robert McFadden)
Patricia Bright	...	(voice) (as Pat Bright)
Allen Swift	...	Fox (voice)
Diane Leslie	...	(voice)
Gerry Matthews	...	(voice)
Ray Owens	...	(voice)
Tiffany Blake	...	Child (voice)
Carl Tramon	...	Child (voice)
Alice Gayle	...	Child (voice)
Todd Porter	...	Pinocchio (voice)

Storyline

It's Pinocchio's first Christmas, and he sells the book Geppetto gives him for present money, but Cat and Fox trick him out of it. So, Pinocchio becomes part of a (Christmas) Marionette show to make present money. He steals a girl puppet when he leaves, and the gendarmes chase him into the Forest of Enchantment. There, he meets Azora, a fairy with a cricket who try to fix Pinocchio's lying and set him on the right track. But then he's sold to a Duke, whom Pinocchio convinces to spend time with his children. And only Santa's reindeer can get Pinocchio home in time for Christmas.

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Plot Keywords:

pinocchio | christmas | father son relationship | stop motion animation | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Navidad de Pinocho

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Allen Swift based Fox's voice off of Sydney Greenstreet. He had used the same voice years earlier for The Invisible Man in _Mad Monster Party? (1967)_qv, also produced by Rankin/Bass.

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Connections

Version of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio (1982)

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Soundtracks

"The Whole Truth"
Performed by Allen Swift

User Reviews

Rankin/Bass' most underrated?

I'd say yes. Not just their most underrated, but I think also one of their better Christmas specials as well. The visuals are gorgeous to look at, the colours just pop out at you in a positive way, there is so much detail in the backgrounds and the characters are incredibly convincing. The music is also spot-on, the scoring is lusciously scored and whimsical and all the songs are upbeat and sweet-natured. The writing has its fair share of funny humour, poignant heart and compelling drama without over-balancing. The story is constantly engaging for anybody, simple but very heartwarming storytelling and never dull. There is also a good message that didn't feel heavy-handed at all. It is also very easy to like the characters, they have personality and they're charming. And I don't think Pinocchio has been any cuter than here. The voice work is terrific. Overall, Rankin/Bass' most underrated special and one of their better ones as well. 10/10 Bethany Cox