Complete credited cast: | |||
Alan King | ... | Maestro Fire-Eater (voice) | |
George S. Irving | ... | Geppetto (voice) | |
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Bob McFadden | ... | Cricket (voice) (as Robert McFadden) |
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Patricia Bright | ... | (voice) (as Pat Bright) |
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Allen Swift | ... | Fox (voice) |
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Diane Leslie | ... | (voice) |
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Gerry Matthews | ... | (voice) |
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Ray Owens | ... | (voice) |
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Tiffany Blake | ... | Child (voice) |
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Carl Tramon | ... | Child (voice) |
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Alice Gayle | ... | Child (voice) |
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Todd Porter | ... | Pinocchio (voice) |
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. Written by Kathy Li
Nope, it's not Disney or anything related to it. This is pure Rankin/Bass. This is one of their least talked-about specials. The story is about Pinocchio's first Christmas and how he basically screws up right and left. It's not one of the better Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, to be honest. I mean the story isn't that interesting to me. I didn't care that much for the characters and the voices, while adequate, didn't win me over. However, it does have some nice songs and the visuals are beautiful. The animation, the colors, the miniature sets are all gorgeous. Such detail. Amazing really. Anyway, it's somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as my ranking of the Rankin/Bass specials would go. But any Rankin/Bass is better than none and this certainly has enough going for it to recommend it.