Pinocchio [DVD] [1940]

I watched Pinocchio as a young child before vhs/dvd/bluerays and you either had to go to the theater or hope to see it on *Sunday Disney Movie special* and I was one of the lucky I even got to see it on a color TV as well at a movie theater "Thank you Uncle Jesse". I rented it from Blockbusters on VHS when my son was a child. I was thrilled when I bought it on Bluray and am still waiting to watch it with my grandson. This movie spans 5 generations in my family. And each time clearer than the last. Thank you Disney for sharing such a classic.

It's a classic what more can I say? The Signature Edition much better than the Diamond Edition!

It was better than the first time ever watching it, colors where awesome. My kids loved it.

This is one of the best, in a cavalcade of great animated classics that Disney created. While the book itself was rather snarky and somewhat sarcastic, in the movie, Pinocchio was transformed from a sarcastic little brat into a creature who was often inveigled into large and costly errors because of his innocence. The fact that he didn't know any better was actually at times a saving grace as he and Jimminy Cricket found themselves in real danger, thanks to Honest John and his cohort, Gideon. Stromboli the puppet-master lived up to his name as the thundering conniving man who had enslaved Pinocchio into his service, and the chubby, cheerful, Coachman was a truly terrifying being that used the power of an island to turn bad boys into donkeys for profit, a clear warning that the face of evil isn't always an unpleasant one. Seeing the unfortunate Lampwick turning into a donkey was and still is a terrifying sight to this day as was the final confrontation Pinocchio had with Monstro the Whale, a huge creature capable of swallowing whole ships, in order to rescue his father, who had been looking for him, giving his all to become a real boy. This is one of the true gems in classic animation, and one not to be missed.....

This is one of the best, in a cavalcade of great animated classics that Disney created. While the book itself was rather snarky and somewhat sarcastic, in the movie, Pinocchio was transformed from a sarcastic little brat into a creature who was often inveigled into large and costly errors because of his innocence. The fact that he didn't know any better was actually at times a saving grace as he and Jimminy Cricket found themselves in real danger, thanks to Honest John and his cohort, Gideon. Stromboli the puppet-master lived up to his name as the thundering conniving man who had enslaved Pinocchio into his service, and the chubby, cheerful, Coachman was a truly terrifying being that used the power of an island to turn bad boys into donkeys for profit, a clear warning that the face of evil isn't always an unpleasant one. Seeing the unfortunate Lampwick turning into a donkey was and still is a terrifying sight to this day as was the final confrontation Pinocchio had with Monstro the Whale, a huge creature capable of swallowing whole ships, in order to rescue his father, who had been looking for him, giving his all to become a real boy. This is one of the true gems in classic animation, and one not to be missed.....

This is one of the best, in a cavalcade of great animated classics that Disney created. While the book itself was rather snarky and somewhat sarcastic, in the movie, Pinocchio was transformed from a sarcastic little brat into a creature who was often inveigled into large and costly errors because of his innocence. The fact that he didn't know any better was actually at times a saving grace as he and Jimminy Cricket found themselves in real danger, thanks to Honest John and his cohort, Gideon. Stromboli the puppet-master lived up to his name as the thundering conniving man who had enslaved Pinocchio into his service, and the chubby, cheerful, Coachman was a truly terrifying being that used the power of an island to turn bad boys into donkeys for profit, a clear warning that the face of evil isn't always an unpleasant one. Seeing the unfortunate Lampwick turning into a donkey was and still is a terrifying sight to this day as was the final confrontation Pinocchio had with Monstro the Whale, a huge creature capable of swallowing whole ships, in order to rescue his father, who had been looking for him, giving his all to become a real boy. This is one of the true gems in classic animation, and one not to be missed.....

Disney has restored this all-time classic to its original brilliance. The universal themes of love, family, friendship and good vs. evil make this educational and enjoyable. Yes, there are some quite scary scenes and evil is shown for what it is. However, just as in most fairy tales, good triumphs over evil in the end. The story is told by Jiminy Cricket and the start of the movie is peaceful. He arrives at Geppetto's home where there are music boxes, toys, amazing clocks and a puppet who is just "all strings and joints." Geppetto is just painting on the finishing touches before he heads off to bed. The "cutest" black and white cat named Figaro adds warmth and amusement to the story. The sassy fish Cleo is a visual delight. As the woodcarver drifts off to sleep, he says: "Wouldn't it be nice if he was a real boy?" He then sends Figaro to open the window and sees a wishing star. He makes a wish and while he sleeps, the Blue Fairy brings the Marionette Pinocchio to life. He then must learn to have a conscience, so it is decided that Jiminy Cricket will be his guide so he will know what is good and what is evil.

This was only the second animated feature film by Walt Disney, following Snow White. I replaced my VHS copy with this new blu-ray, and what a difference in picture and sound quality. It is especially noticeable when looking at the film clips from the movie highlighted in the "classic" special features. Disney Studios pioneered many new animation techniques in the late 1930's that were spotlighted in this film, but especially their technique using wavy glass to film the underwater sequences. The music is phenomenal, winning two Oscars, including "Best Music, Original Song" for "When You Wish Upon a Star," composed by Leigh Harline, with lyrics by Ned Washington. Cliff Edwards who voices Jiminy Cricket, Christian Rub as Geppetto (whose appearance the animators actually based the character on!), and Dickie Jones as Pinocchio were such inspired casting, I can't imagine anyone else in the roles.