Pinocchio Review
on DVD
Pinocchio was released as a film in 1940, based on a children's book. When you are a good friend, you think of others before yourself, so you are unselfish. That's one of the traits that the fairy wanted Pinocchio to have.
It's important to be truthful, like in the Boy Who Cried Wolf. It's important to be honest.
The fairy wanted Pinocchio to be brave. He set out to rescue his father. He believed in his father, so he went to rescue him.
The other moral is having good values.
The movie starts out with Jiminy Cricket singing the intro to When You Wish Upon a Star. He then starts to talk to the audience/camera, thus breaking the 4th wall. He starts telling a story about making a wish come true. The camera zooms in to reveal an old puppetmaster by the name of Geppetto. He makes this wooden doll and thinks about giving it the name Pinocchio. He asks Figaro the cat and Cleo the goldfish if he should name him that. Then he pulls on Pinocchio's strings, nodding his head, indicating it is a good name. Geppetto wishes that Pinocchio could be a real boy as he falls asleep. The Blue Fairy brings Pinocchio to life as a puppet without any strings.
Jiminy Cricket is Pinocchio's conscience. Your conscience tells you what's right and what's wrong, so Jiminy Cricket is trying to help Pinocchio make the best decisions.
Pinocchio decides to ditch school and join some bad guys. He heads off to Stomboli's coach for a puppet show as seen in the clip below. He attempts to sing the song "I Got No Strings" but everyone laughs at him. Pinocchio wants to go home, but Stromboli locks him up in a bird cage. Jiminy Cricket cannot free him; the Blue Fairy appears and asks Pinocchio why he was not at school. Pinocchio lies to the Blue Fairy, causing his nose to grow. Pinocchio promises to be good and the Blue Fairy offers him one last chance and he escapes thanks to her.
The same bad guys reappear. They convice Pinocchio to go with a guy to Pleasure Island, but he's also a bad guy. He offers gold coins to find people for Pleasure Island. Pinocchio befriends Lampwick, a delinquent who is into smoking, drinking, gambling and vandalizing. Jiminy Cricket discovers the awful truth. Jiminy Cricket discovers the curse that turns everyone into donkeys. Lampwick turns into a donkey. Pinocchio mentions jackasses, which is another term for donkeys. Pinocchio starts to turn into a donkey, but then he escapes.
There is one more adventure where Pinocchio shows his bravery by rescuing Geppetto from a whale named Monstro.
Pinocchio drowns and everyone thinks he is dead. The Blue Fairy decides that Pinocchio has been truthful, brave and unselfish, so she turns him into a real human boy and everybody celebrates. Jiminy Cricket thanks the Blue Fairy and the Blue Fairy gives Jiminy Cricket a medal proving that he is an official conscience.
