Pinocchio

As the second animated feature film for Disney, Pinocchio just had to be the second Evangeline Files review.  Pinocchio, I think, would be considered rather edgy today (for a kid’s movie)—I actually didn’t see it myself until I was older and had read the book on which it was based.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this classic Disney film!

Pinocchio review:

Pinocchio (based on a dark Italian novel) is about a lonely toymaker, Geppetto, who makes a wooden puppet whom he names Pinocchio.  When Geppetto wishes on a star for Pinocchio to become a real boy, he comes to life as a talking puppet with the help of The Blue Fairy and then he must earn his way to become a real boy.  This movie has at least one very sweet part, Figaro the cat (adorable in my opinion!), and perhaps a good lesson or two for viewers.  One good lesson is for young people to try to listen to the right voices in their heads, such as Pinocchio’s Jiminy Cricket conscience (literally a cricket in the movie).  Though this movie is not nearly as a dark as the novel it was based on (which I read back in 5^th grade), it still has some very dark parts that could scare younger kids, such as the scenes where a bunch of young boys turn into donkeys and someone may or may not get eaten by a really big fish.  Then, when Pinocchio ends up on an island called Pleasure Island (FYI: I’ve actually vacationed at a real place called “Pleasure Island” on the coast of North Carolina), he and some young boys drink beer and smoke cigarettes and use the word “jackass” twice (not very good for a young kid’s movie at all!).  So, while I really do like Pinocchio, the mix of some creepy scenes, some mild substance abuse and some mild bad language all make me feel like I have to recommend it for older kids only. 

“Prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish, and someday, you will be a real boy.”

(a noteworthy quote from The Blue Fairy)