Pinocchio

1940  NR  ANIMATED  1h 28min

CAST— Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Cliff Edwards, Evelyn Venable, Walter Catlett, Frankie Darro

MUSIC— Paul J. Smith  DIRECTORS— Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske  BASED ON— The Adventures of Pinocchio (novel), by Carlo Collodi

     Walt Disney delivers yet another masterpiece in the form of a puppet who longs to live as a human boy. When Geppeto the wood carver fashions a marionette into the shape of a boy, his heart longs for a son. When night falls the Blue Fairy grants his wish, turning the marionette Pinocchio into a walking, talking being. Though still made of wood he may prove himself worthy; if he lives a decent life, discerns right from wrong, only then will he be made human. His newfound friend Jiminy Cricket accepts the task of watching over the boy, to be his conscience, as it were. But when they enter the world for the first time together, Pinocchio’s naiveté gets the best of him. And that’s where the fun begins. Jiminy Cricket must bail him out of one jam after another in this series of misadventures that is sure to keep viewers riveted right up to the harrowing finale. With breathtaking animation and superior Technicolor it’s a feast for eyes of all ages. And that’s no lie. Deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

OUR RATING— ***

REMADE AS— Pinocchio (2002)