Pinocchio (1940)

Pinocchio premiered on February 7, 1940, at the Center Theatre in New York City, New York. Generally released in theaters on February 23, 1940. Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. It is the second animated feature film released by the Disney studio. Based on the 1883 Italian children’s novel “The Adventure of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet” by author Carlo Collodi.

***WARNING: Possible Spoilers Ahead***

Pinocchio is the story of a wooden puppet named Pinocchio, crafted by a kind-hearted woodcarver named Geppetto, who wishes for a son. When the Blue Fairy brings Pinocchio to life, she promises he can become a real boy if he proves himself brave, truthful, and unselfish, with Jiminy Cricket appointed as his conscience. Pinocchio’s journey is fraught with temptations and misadventures, including being lured to Pleasure Island, where naughty boys are turned into donkeys, and facing the deceitful puppeteer Stromboli. Ultimately, Pinocchio learns the value of honesty and selflessness when he risks his life to save Geppetto from the belly of a giant whale, Monstro, earning his transformation into a real boy and reuniting with his father.

The soundtrack was released on February 9, 1940, and featured three 78-rpm singles that included, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Little Wooden Head,” “Give a Little Whistle,” “Hi Diddle Dee Dee,” “I’ve Got No Strings” and “Turn On the Old Music Box.”

At the 13th Academy Awards on February 27, 1941, won for Best Music (Original Score) - Leigh Harline, Paul J. Smith, Ned Washington and for Best Music (Song) - “When You Wish Upon a Star,” Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington.

Re-released in theaters on October 17, 1945; February 18, 1954; January 18, 1962; July 7, 1971; December 16, 1978; December 21, 1984; and June 26, 1992.

Released for the first time on home video on VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc and Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) on June 16, 1985, as part of the Walt Disney Classics series. Received a second release on VHS as part of the Walt Disney Classics series on March 26, 1993. Released on VHS and DVD on October 26, 1999, as a 60th Anniversary Edition. Released on VHS and DVD on March 7, 2000, as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection. Released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 10, 2009 as a 70th Anniversary Walt Disney Platinum Edition. Released on DVD and Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD Combo) on January 31, 2017, as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection.

In 1994, the United States Library of Congress deemed Pinocchio “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts released the “AFI 100 Years …” series between 1998 and 2008 and recognized Pinocchio in several categories. The film was selected for AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Songs - 100 Greatest Songs in American Movies: “When You Wish Upon a Star,” (#7); AFI’s 100 Years…100 Cheers - 100 Most Inspiring Movies: Pinocchio (#38); AFI’s 10 Top 10 - The Top 10 Films in 10 Genres: (#2 Animation). 

CAST AND CREW

Supervising Directors: *Hamilton Luske, *Ben Sharpsteen.

Sequence Directors: *Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, *Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts. 

Writers: Aurelius Battaglia (Story Adaptation), *William Cottrell (Story Adaptation), Otto Englander (Story Adaptation), Erdman Penner (Story Adaptation), Joseph Sabo (Story Adaptation), Ted Sears (Story Adaptation), Webb Smith (Story Adaptation). 

Producer: Walt Disney (uncredited).

Voice Cast (all uncredited): Mel Blanc (voice of Gideon hiccups), Don Brodie (voice of Carnival Barker), Stuart Buchanan (voice of Carnival Barker), Walter Catlett (voice of J. Worthington Foulfellow aka Honest John), Marion Darlington (sound effects, birds), Frankie Darro (voice of Lampwick), *Virginia Davis (sound effects, children), *Cliff Edwards (voice of Jiminy Cricket), *Dickie Jones (voice of Pinocchio / Alexander), Charles Judels (voice of Stromboli / The Coachman), George Magrill (sound effects, donkeys), Dal McKinnon (sound effects, donkeys), John McLeish (voice of Carnival Barker), *Clarence Nash (voice of Figaro / Rough House Statue / sound effects, donkeys), Patricia Page (voice of Marionettes), Purv Pullen (voice of Whistling Saw), Christian Rub (voice of Geppetto), Evelyn Venable (voice of The Blue Fairy). 

Art Directors: *Ken Anderson (as Kenneth Anderson), Hugh Hennessy, John Hubley, Dick Kelsey, *Kendall O’Connor, Charles Philippi, Thor Putnam, Terrell Stapp, McLaren Stewart, Al Zinnen. 

Animation Directors: *Art Babbitt (as Arthur Babbitt), *Milt Kahl (as Milton Kahl), *Ward Kimball, *Eric Larson, *Fred Moore, *Wolfgang Reitherman (as Woolie Reitherman), Frank Thomas (as Franklin Thomas), *Bill Tytla (as Vladimir Tytla).

Animators: Preston Blair (Animator), Jack Bradbury (Animator, as John Bradbury), Jack Campbell (Animator), *Les Clark (Animator), *Claude Coats (Background Artist), Merle Cox (Background Artist), John Elliotte (Animator), Hugh Fraser (Animator), Campbell Grant (Character Designer), *Joe Grant (Character Designer), Ray Huffine (Background Artist), Albert Hurter (Character Designer), *Ollie Johnston (Animator, as Oliver M. Johnston), Lynn Karp (Animator), *John Lounsbery (Animator), Don Lusk (Animator), Robert Martsch (Animator), John McManus (Animator), Joshua Meador (Animator), John P. Miller (Character Designer), Martin Provensen (Character Designer), Charles Nichols (Animator), Art Palmer (Animator), Don Patterson (Animator), George Rowley (Animator), Ed Starr (Background Artist), Norman Tate (Animator), Don Tobin (Animator), Don Towsley (Animator), John Walbridge (Character Designer), Bernard Wolf (Animator, as Berny Wolf), Marvin Woodward (Animator). 

Music: *Frank Churchill (Composer, uncredited), *Leigh Harline (Composer), *Paul J. Smith (Composer), *Ned Washington (Lyrics).

* - Denotes Disney Legend

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

MPAA Rating: G. Runtime: 87 minutes. Sound Mix: Mono, RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System. Color: Technicolor. Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1. Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical. 

MY REVIEW

Pinocchio is my favorite Disney animated feature film of all-time. The animation was spectacular for its time and still holds up today. The characters of Pinocchio, Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo and the villains like J. Worthington Foulfellow, Stromboli and The Coachman are some of the most recognizable and unforgettable Disney characters. The film, while entertaining also teaches important lessons about honesty, responsibility, and selflessness. The music is wonderful, especially the iconic unofficial Disney theme song, “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

RATINGS

Disney Movie and Film Encyclopedia: 100 / 100
IMDb: 7.5/10
Metacritic (Metascore): 99
Metacritic (User Score): 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer): 100%
Rotten Tomatoes (Popcornmeter): 73%

Average score from all the above ratings: 88.00%

FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT PINOCCHIO

1. Jiminy Cricket Was Almost a Minor Character: In the original story by Carlo Collodi, the cricket (not named Jiminy) gets squashed by Pinocchio early on and only reappears as a ghost. Disney turned him into a major player, giving him a snappy personality and the iconic song “When You Wish Upon a Star,” voiced by Cliff Edwards, a popular singer known as “Ukulele Ike.”

2. The Film Was a Technical Marvel: Pinocchio pushed animation boundaries with its use of the multiplane camera, creating depth in scenes like the village streets. It also featured complex effects—like water ripples and Stromboli’s wagon—that were painstakingly hand-drawn, costing about $2.6 million (a huge sum for the time).

3. Pleasure Island Was Darker Than You Think: The sequence where boys turn into donkeys after indulging on Pleasure Island is famously creepy, but early drafts were even bleaker. Disney toned it down from Collodi’s book, where the transformation was permanent for most, yet it still terrified kids—and some parents—in theaters. 

4. Mel Blanc’s Role Got Sliced: Mel Blanc, the voice legend behind Bugs Bunny, was hired to voice Gideon, Honest John’s cat sidekick. He recorded full dialogue, but Disney decided to make Gideon mute, keeping only Blanc’s hiccups. It’s one of his lesser-known gigs.

5. It Bombed at First: Released in 1940, Pinocchio didn’t turn a profit initially. World War II cut off European markets, and its darker tone didn’t click with audiences expecting another Snow White. It made just $1.9 million against its massive budget, though it later became a classic through re-releases and home video.

Are you a fan of Pinocchio? Share your thoughts in the comments below.