Really That Good? - Pinocchio

The following piece is a critical response to a film and an analysis based on a viewing of something of which I already have familiarity.

The views expressed in this post are solely my own and do not reflect those of any other entity associated with this film.

Yeah, we’re going back to Disney again. I was thinking of doing Mask of the Phantasm, but my nostalgia was tickled this month. After two very abstract, cerebral sci-fi films, we need to go back to the basics.

Pinocchio, Disney’s sophomore project, really needs no introduction. While Snow White may have introduced the feel-good Disney movie to the world, Pinocchio arguably perfected it. Combining whimsy, heartfelt emotion, and even genuinely scary moments, Pinocchio is still regarded as one of Disney’s signature products. The film won the first competitive Oscar for an animated film, for the song “When You Wish Upon a Star”—which eventually became the theme for the Disney corporation itself. I’m not even bothering with a spoiler warning because let’s face it, we’ve all seen it.

This film is yet another classic that actually bombed during its release. Since it was released during World War II, foreign markets were basically a no sell despite good reviews, though it eventually made back its budget through re-releases over the years. You wouldn’t think that looking at its laundry list of awards, though. It made TIME’s Top 100 as well as topping their animation list. It is one of the few animated films on Ebert’s “Great Movies” list, made #2 on AFI’s animated list as well as the aforementioned “Star” at #7 on the songs list and was inducted into the National Film Registry. It even holds to this day a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

When I was very young, Pinocchio was one of my most favorite movies ever. Right up there with Wizard of Oz, Dumbo, and the previously reviewed Bambi, this was one film I’d keep returning to over and over. I always remembered Pinocchio’s quest for self-realization, the cricket, and the scene where we learn why we shouldn’t lie, but I haven’t seen it in at least a decade, since that’s when I last had a working VCR. I was very surprised by just how much I remembered upon a repeated viewing for this review.

Is Pinocchio still a timeless treasure that helped define the Disney Empire? Or have its approach and ideas become a relic of the formula even Disney themselves seem to have outgrown? Is Pinocchio Really That Good?

What the Film Does?

Like most of Disney’s works, this film was based on an older story. The 1882 book by Carlo Collodi was influential in its own right as one of the earliest books aimed directly at children. The book was inspired by the story of Jonah, who also shirked responsibility for a life of debauchery and fun and got swallowed by a whale…okay it’s a dogfish in this book. I actually read it when I was younger because of my love for the Disney film, and I was shocked at how dark this book was. It has Pinocchio burning his feet off, the cat consuming a talking blackbird, Pinocchio performing swindles, and he even kills the cricket. Yikes!

I think the film tells the story better, especially in regard to its main character. Rather than being a snooty kid who hightails it immediately after coming to life, this Pinocchio is a sweet, kindhearted puppet who wants to explore and enjoy the pleasures of life. The Blue Faerie says he must learn the difference between right and wrong. What makes the film work is Pinocchio genuinely does not know the difference. It is only through a truly selfless act in saving his loved ones from Monstro that he is able to ascend and earn his goal.

This film is borderline innovative with its cinematography. It codified the dramatic pan and added smoke effects to create atmosphere and build the world of the film. Pinocchio is a different world than Disney was used to seeing at the time. Though still whimsical and fun, there is a darker underbelly with the sinister fox and cat and the seedy Pleasure Island which lures in delinquent youth if they are not careful. But what makes the light and dark contrast so well is the film builds to it. And it feels natural. They have the fun atmosphere, but after Pinocchio escapes Stromboli, the story becomes more serious. The whole buildup to the climax is shaded with the eerie Pleasure Island and the reveal of the sinister Coachman. So by the time we get to Monstro, we have been sacred enough. The giant whale is just the cherry on top to get us pumped for the finale. And then the ending is satisfying because it is calm and subdued, and we have survived the horrors along with Pinocchio.

The direction feels different from many of its later contemporaries. The style is cartoonish and high-contrast. All characters have larger eyes and a distinctive bounce to their movement. It fits with the subtle comedy I get into later. While Jiminy is not drawn to look entirely as a cricket, at least not at all like the more realistic one in Mulan decades later, one still would not argue that he is indeed a cricket.

Many cite the lie scene as this film’s signature and one of the very best in animation history. For me, however, that scene belongs hands down to Monstro. The timing, the lighting, the whale’s design, and even the background score make this whole scene tense and the perfect climax. Monstro is seen as a force of nature, continually pulling and pushing back our heroes.

The storytelling is different from a standard Disney fairytale as well. As I said before, Pinocchio actually learns these lessons and develops as a character. Unlike other protagonists like Alice, Snow White, or even really Bambi, Pinocchio does things to further the story. Blue Faerie and Jiminy help him by giving him advice at times, but he is the main agent of his own story.  He can’t just sit around and wish things to get better; he has to make himself a better boy to have everything else change for him. The villains are not defeated so much as eluded or escaped, with Stromboli and the Coachman actually getting away with their misdeeds. I still don’t know how I watched the Pleasure Island scene without wetting myself when I was younger. This makes Pinocchio a deeper film and perhaps the most self-deconstructive of Disney’s early library.

Impact

The impact of this film is best felt within the Disney canon. Snow White may have come first, but Pinocchio codified much of what we think of in the classic Disney formula. We have a character who is good at heart and ordinary, but has a flaw of some kind. Due to forces beyond their control, are whisked away into a magical world. They must confront evil and use magic to help them along the way, and quite often a character fakes death only to come back five minutes later. There is a moral, but it is not preachy. As the character experiences some sort of revelation on a personal level, and the flaw is sorted out and they all love happily ever after. While most Disney movies may seem the same on paper, Disney had a formula that worked! It’s the perfect feel-good story and an update on the standards of the classic fairy tales that inspired these movies.

Though it is a small part of the film I kind of glossed over, the lie scene is very iconic and memorable. We have gotten to the point where the name “Pinocchio” is synonymous with “liar”. To me, that seems a bit unflattering, as the whole point was Pinocchio did not know any better and the overall story was about overcoming that.

Perhaps above all else, Pinocchio is a morality fable. It is a story about being nice and adhering to the values of a just and virtuous existence. It uses some scare tactics by painting scary villains and lighting contrasts down to the downright terrifying donkey transformation. I bet all of you promised to be good little boys after seeing that. This was a lesson important to American family values in the 1940s and is still relevant to this day. The way the film does this without being didactic or blunt is the secret to its success and why it resonates so strongly to this day.


Anything Else of Note?

I honestly forgot how much subtle humor there was in the film. Many of the lines from Jiminy and John the fox are punny and situationally appropriate. In addition to verbal comedy, Figaro and Cleo make the most of what little screen-time they have. They are each given a personality and reactions, serving as somewhat of a Greek Chorus to the story. Although if Gideon can walk and wear clothes, then what does that make Figaro?

The character of Jiminy, just as much as Pinocchio, is fascinating to analyze. I forgot that he starts as a bum at the start of the film. He doesn’t even know what a conscience is when he applies for the job. And he’s not even a good conscience at first. He leaves Pinocchio at Stromboli’s without thinking “hey, maybe Gepetto will be worried or something?” But just like Pinocchio being a real boy, Jiminy learns to be a good conscience. He learns to be a moral center and a spirit guide. While he can only tell Pinocchio not to do bad things and not prevent them, he becomes a better judge of what is wrong himself. That on top of his fun comedy and Cliff Edwards’ performance made him the breakout star. It’s easy to see why he became Disney’s unofficial emcee at times.

Also, remember how I said I preferred this to the Collodi book. This is in large part due to the ending.  In the ending of the book, Pinocchio has to work on a farm for money. He pays off the Blue Faerie and saves Geppetto. As a result, the Blue Faerie makes Pinocchio real from within his dreams. This would have taken too long and is tonally more flat than the rest of the story. The movie feels earned. Even though Pinocchio does bad things, what separates him from the other kids, and ultimately makes him real, is that by saving Geppetto, he is shown to have learned from his mistakes. This is the true mark of a good boy, one who knows when he has done something wrong and takes responsibility for it. This makes the film a good conveyor of its message and a better morality play, because the film was able to create a sympathetic protagonist who could potentially be seen as a role model.

Why WOULDN’T it be That Good?

I heard a common criticism of the film as “When you Wish Upon a Star” being a wrong and hypocritical message to teach kids. It has been said that just wishing for something and having it come for you is impractical and simply does not happen in the real world. Those people seem to forget the second stanza.

“If your heart is in your dream/no request is too extreme”

The film acknowledges the quest is one of self-realization. The dreamer really has to want the dream to make it come true. This idea would be explored in other films like Cinderella and Princess and the Frog, but Pinocchio was the first Disney character to explore these themes and his arc is about his quest to achieve them. And his quest is one he makes for himself.

I know I said I’d try not to nitpick, but some of the voice acting got on my nerves. I guess I’m so used to the House of Mouse cast doing it, it caught me off guard. This is especially the case with the Blue Faerie, who sounds way too old. Jennifer Hale did her better.

Also, I know it was made before this was a cliché, but Pinocchio’s “Disney Death” was silly and a bit forced. At least in Snow White, there was the excuse that it was a curse. I think we still somewhat needed a transition to the Real Boy Ending, but it only needed to last a few seconds rather than an entire scene mourning him. Plus, Pinocchio’s real-boy design is jarring. We got used to him as a puppet, no matter what he looked like afterwards would be awkward and out-of-place.

Conclusion

I’ve been having a lot of fun revisiting these Disney movies from the past.

While Pinocchio is very much a Disneyfication of an older book, the story is told better and has a more appropriate tone. Once again, Disney is able to take light, playful elements and contrast them with darker ones. The story itself is also one of the better ones for early Disney. It is a journey of self-realization and growing up. Pinocchio is becoming real and showing the audience how they can become real, too.

A long time ago, I would have told you either Bambi or Pinocchio was my favorite Disney film outside of Pixar. Now, at nearly 21, that distinction still stands. Pinocchio has held up extremely well, and I grew to respect it much more than any other film I’ve reviewed so far. It is a well-directed, fun movie that makes allowances for serious moments and even has a touch of intelligence in its writing. Beyond even what my nostalgia dictates, Pinocchio is…Really that Good!