When Cinderella's cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, she gets some unexpected help from the lovable mice Gus and Jaq, and from her Fairy Godmother.
After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.
When a litter of Dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella de Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.
A poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in English history.
Director:
Wolfgang Reitherman
Stars:
Rickie Sorensen,
Sebastian Cabot,
Karl Swenson
Inventor Gepetto creates a wooden marionette called Pinocchio. His wish for Pinocchio to be a real boy is unexpectedly granted by a fairy. The fairy assigns Jiminy Cricket to act as Pinocchio's "conscience" and keep him out of trouble. Jiminy is not too successful in this endeavor and most of the film is spent with Pinocchio deep in trouble.Written by
Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
During the musical number "When You Wish Upon a Star", when a spotlight is seen on Jiminy Cricket, one is able to see two books to the left of the screen, which are "Peter Pan" and "Alice in Wonderland". Walt Disney started developing these two stories for the big screen at the time of this film's release, and they would be released respectively in 1953 and 1951. See more »
Goofs
When Jiminy flings Pinocchio's cigar out of his mouth, the 8 on the 8-ball is crooked. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Jiminy Cricket:
[after singing "When You Wish Upon a Star"]
Pretty, huh? I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that, about a wish comin' true, do ya? Well, I didn't, either. Of course, I'm just a cricket singing my way from hearth to hearth, but let me tell you what made me change my mind.
See more »
Crazy Credits
None of the actors in this film are credited. See more »
Alternate Versions
The 1954 re-release marked the last time the film was distributed by RKO. After that, it was replaced by Buena Vista. The 1985 VHS release also has the Walt Disney Pictures logo. However, the overseas DVD release in 2003, the Platinum Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases in 2009 and the Walt Disney Signature Collection DVD and Blu-ray releases in 2017 restored the original RKO logo. But both versions include reissue credits, as reference to Technicolor should have read "in Technicolor" but not just "Technicolor". See more »
Pinocchio was the only the second ever animated film made by Disney and should rightfully be considered a milestone for animation. The film is easily one of the company's best and has barely dated. It features some of their best work which includes wonderful animation, memorable characters and a really engaging story.
The plot sees inventor Geppetto create a wooden puppet named Pinocchio and he wishes for him to be real, the Blue Fairy decides to grant his wish. She gives Pinocchio a conscience in the form of a cricket called Jiminy to keep him out of trouble and if he behaves he can become a real boy. However Jiminy is given a difficult job as Pinocchio frequently faces the wrong types of temptation and it's an uphill struggle to avoid trouble. The plot is brilliant as it quickly moves from one sticky situation to another, never slowing long enough to be boring. The film has plenty of light and dark moments while talking about smart subject matter which keeps everyone entertained.
The characters are excellent. Pinocchio isn't the most interesting of leads but he's supposed to be naïve, curious and easily led astray much like any young boy so it's a successful role. Jiminy is a lot of fun, always trying and failing to keep Pinocchio in line. He's laid back but has his limits while his exasperation leads to good comedy and his kind nature makes him likable. Geppetto comes across as a kind man, while silent pets Figaro and Cleo have some very funny moments. Honest John and mostly mute Gideon are an excellent double team and the funniest comic pieces come from their slapstick as well as strange humour. Both Stromboli and the Coachman are two of Disney's most sinister villains, Stromboli being intimidatingly loud and the Coachman restrainedly creepy. The Blue Fairy is a pretty decent guide.
The animation is outstanding and some of the best Disney has ever done. When it wants things to be bright and cheerful it adds some beautiful scenery or colours, the scenes in Geppetto's house show that. While for the dark scenes it keeps a great gloomy and murky look, the Red Lobster Inn scene being prime example. A brilliant aspect to the film is the dark tone that it takes on. It never shy's away from the terrible things that can happen if you do wrong and can be rather frightening, the scenes of the kids turning into Donkeys at Pleasure Island and the whole climax with wild whale Monstro are now classic scary scenes. The fact that all the villains never get punished makes it different from the norm and it reflects real life in that way. The film does have a strong emotion impact, when it wants you to feel happy or sad or scared it makes you feel that way with ease whether it be via the artwork and the atmosphere. The music is superb too and the score itself is very memorable, the songs are fantastic as well as rightful classics including 'When You Wish Upon A Star' and 'An Actors Life For Me'.
Overall Pinocchio is by far one of Disney's finest films and is a combination of everything great about the company.
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Pinocchio was the only the second ever animated film made by Disney and should rightfully be considered a milestone for animation. The film is easily one of the company's best and has barely dated. It features some of their best work which includes wonderful animation, memorable characters and a really engaging story.
The plot sees inventor Geppetto create a wooden puppet named Pinocchio and he wishes for him to be real, the Blue Fairy decides to grant his wish. She gives Pinocchio a conscience in the form of a cricket called Jiminy to keep him out of trouble and if he behaves he can become a real boy. However Jiminy is given a difficult job as Pinocchio frequently faces the wrong types of temptation and it's an uphill struggle to avoid trouble. The plot is brilliant as it quickly moves from one sticky situation to another, never slowing long enough to be boring. The film has plenty of light and dark moments while talking about smart subject matter which keeps everyone entertained.
The characters are excellent. Pinocchio isn't the most interesting of leads but he's supposed to be naïve, curious and easily led astray much like any young boy so it's a successful role. Jiminy is a lot of fun, always trying and failing to keep Pinocchio in line. He's laid back but has his limits while his exasperation leads to good comedy and his kind nature makes him likable. Geppetto comes across as a kind man, while silent pets Figaro and Cleo have some very funny moments. Honest John and mostly mute Gideon are an excellent double team and the funniest comic pieces come from their slapstick as well as strange humour. Both Stromboli and the Coachman are two of Disney's most sinister villains, Stromboli being intimidatingly loud and the Coachman restrainedly creepy. The Blue Fairy is a pretty decent guide.
The animation is outstanding and some of the best Disney has ever done. When it wants things to be bright and cheerful it adds some beautiful scenery or colours, the scenes in Geppetto's house show that. While for the dark scenes it keeps a great gloomy and murky look, the Red Lobster Inn scene being prime example. A brilliant aspect to the film is the dark tone that it takes on. It never shy's away from the terrible things that can happen if you do wrong and can be rather frightening, the scenes of the kids turning into Donkeys at Pleasure Island and the whole climax with wild whale Monstro are now classic scary scenes. The fact that all the villains never get punished makes it different from the norm and it reflects real life in that way. The film does have a strong emotion impact, when it wants you to feel happy or sad or scared it makes you feel that way with ease whether it be via the artwork and the atmosphere. The music is superb too and the score itself is very memorable, the songs are fantastic as well as rightful classics including 'When You Wish Upon A Star' and 'An Actors Life For Me'.
Overall Pinocchio is by far one of Disney's finest films and is a combination of everything great about the company.