Pinocchio

Disney’s “Pinocchio” is a rich animated film filled with dazzling visuals. It follows up the daring ambition that was “Snow White” by upping and pushing the boundaries further. It’s beautiful, funny, features both memorable songs and characters, it even dares to be a little bit frightening at times. This is a picture that is aimed more towards children, but adults can appreciate it too.

No sooner has Elderly Geppetto (voiced by Christian Rub) finished his latest wooden puppet and named it Pinocchio that it is brought to life by The Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) She informs the newly animated Pinocchio (voiced by Dickie Jones) that if he proves himself to be brave, truthful and unselfish, he will become a real boy. To help him along his way, Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) is assigned to be his conscience.

I want to begin by talking about the visuals present in “Pinocchio”. Some of the elements are so well executed you’re likely to overlook the genius required in putting them together. This film features a wide variety of characters and settings. A perfect example of the talent involved in bringing this children’s story to life can be found in Geppetto’s workshop. You have characters that move fluidly because they’re alive (such as Geppetto himself, his cat Figaro and his goldfish Cleo) Then you have what must be dozens of music boxes, clocks and wooden toys on the shelves, all of which move in a distinct manner. There’s a particular music box I want to zoom in on. It’s one where a little wooden conductor directs a group of tiny musicians. Look at the way the key rotates on the side, staying proportionate no matter which angle it is viewed at. It must have been rotoscoped, but it blends so well into the rest of the scene that you wonder if it wasn’t simply handed off to someone who had an affinity for modeling rotating objects. Then on the box itself, you have the little wooden figures. These would also have been a challenge to animate because they don’t move like people do and it’s made that much more obvious by the fact that Pinocchio’s future conscience, Jiminy Cricket is moving alongside them. It’s flawlessly executed, and we haven’t even started talking about the amount of detail in the scene. “Pinocchio” is what I would call a great wallpaper movie. Every frame is so beautiful you could take it, put it on your desktop and people would be impressed.

Throughout the film, you can tell that no corners were cut. There are soft gradients on Pinocchio himself (the feather on his hat for example) Can you imagine how much effort would have been required to ensure that the lines, the spacing between them, the fade and the positioning of each of these elements stayed consistent from frame to frame? It’s one astounding piece of animation after another as we see Pinocchio travel through vivid, bustling streets, the bottom of the sea and through the rain. Watch “Pinocchio” and you’ll witness the first time realistic smoke, lightning, and water were animated for the big screen.

Story-wise, “Pinocchio” is a simple morality tale. It’s a series of wild adventures our hero becomes involved in. For that reason, the pacing is a bit uneven. You’ll often be asked to simply sit back and admire what’s on display, but that’s not a flaw. It’s like an art gallery that moves, makes you laugh and gets you to tap your feet. There are some terrific songs throughout the film. They’re different from the ones in “Snow White” in that you won’t be able to immediately memorize them, but you’ll wish you could. I fantasize about walking down the street being able to recite “Hi Diddlee Dee, an actor’s life for me” while twirling a cane. The lyrics are complex, but people would instantly know what movie it’s from.

I want to praise “Pinocchio” for one more thing. It’s the villains. Unlike most films where you get one central bad guy, “Pinocchio” features a bunch of different ones, each increasingly threatening. There are points where the film is genuinely frightening, where you don’t know how Pinocchio is going to get out of his latest jam. The odds are stacked so highly against him. I like that. “Pinocchio” does not coddle its audience and that’s part of the charm. I think that secretly, children like being scared (within reason) and what better way to drive home the message that if you are bad, you’ll regret it than by having genuine tension in your story?

“Pinocchio” is not my favorite Disney animated film, but I have a tremendous amount of admiration for it. There’s such a wide variety of characters and of movement throughout. And none of it looks dated, ever. This picture looks so good, with its crisp lines, bright colors, and groundbreaking animation techniques that it could have been made yesterday. I urge you to take another look at this film, this time focussing on the visuals. Look at how the villain Stromboli moves, how different he is from the other characters, or how Pinocchio is animated in a unique manner to help drive home the fact that he’s made of wood, not flesh-and-bone. It’s a funny, memorable and terrific-looking picture. There’s something in “Pinocchio” here for everyone. (On Blu-ray, February 12, 2016)