Disney’s 1940 animated classicPinocchiohas a rare perfect score onRotten Tomatoes, and its legacy was almost ruined six decades later. Disney continues to be a powerhouse in the world of animation, being home to a number of animated movies that are now considered classics. Disney’s reign in the field of animation began in 1937 withSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is also the first animated feature film produced in the United States and the first cel-animated feature movie.
The success ofSnow White and the Seven Dwarfswas key to Disney becoming what it now is, and gave a taste of the studio’s visual and narrative style. Disney’s second animated feature film wasPinocchio, a loose adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Italian children’s novelThe Adventures of Pinocchio.Pinocchiowas a critical success though not a commercial one at first due to World War II cutting off the European and Asian markets, but it made a profit during its re-release in 1945.Pinocchiohas an unbelievable rating onRotten Tomatoes, but its legacy was almost ruined in the mid-2000s.
Disney’s Pinocchio Has A 100% Critics Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Pinocchio Holds A Perfect Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Pinocchiois part of the select group of movies that have a perfect critics score onRotten Tomatoes, and one of onlysix animated movies to have a 100% critics' score.Pinocchiotakes the audience to late-19th century Italy to meet Geppetto, an elderly and lonely woodworker and toymaker who creates a puppet he names Pinocchio. Before falling asleep,Geppetto wishes for Pinocchio to be a real boy, and later that night, the Blue Fairy visits his workshop to grant him his wish.
However, the Blue Fairy informs the now-alive Pinocchio that, to become a real boy, he has to prove himself unselfish, truthful, and brave, and assigns Jiminy Cricket as his conscience.Jiminy’s job is to mentor Pinocchio and guide him in matters of right and wrong, but the puppet is too reckless and impulsive. This leads Pinocchio to get lost and involved in some truly disturbing situations with horrible people, sending him on a wild self-discovery journey and Geppetto on a dangerous rescue mission.
Upon its release,Pinocchiowas mostly praised for its animation, with many critics calling it superior to that ofSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs. When it comes to its story,Pinocchiowas called a “charming” and “delightful” movie for both adults and children, with special praise for its charm, themes, and humor. AlthoughPinocchio’s story has received some criticism decades later, mostly due to its dark moments that aren’t quite kid-friendly,what keeps receiving praise are its moral teachings, which also became a constant in Disney’s animated works.
Pinocchio Almost Got A Direct-To-Video Sequel In The 2000s
Many Disney Animated Movies Got Direct-To-Video Sequels In The 2000s
Although making sequels to Disney’s most successful animated movies is now a common practice and they are even expected to happen, this wasn’t common in the early days of the studio.Pinocchiois one of the few Disney animated classics that never got a sequel, but it came close to getting one in the mid-2000s. Back then, the now-defunct branch of Disneytoon Studios produced direct-to-video sequels to some of Disney’s most notable animated movies, most of which are famously bad.
Some of the most notable sequels produced by Disneytoon Studios areAladdin and the King of Thieves,The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, andThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
In 2007, Disneytoon Studios went through corporate restructuring, leading to many projects, most of them sequels, being canceled. Among them wasPinocchio II, and looking at what’s known about it, it’s better that it never happened. According to Robert Reece, who wrote the script for the project,Pinocchio IIwould have picked up directly after the first movie andwould have taken the title character on a “strange journey” for the sake of something he held dear(viaAnimated Views).
Pinocchio IIwas canceled when John Lasseter became Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2006, and made it known he disliked Disneytoon’s sequels and prequels.
Reece addedit was a story that led Pinocchio to question why life seems unfair sometimesbut he couldn’t share more details.Pinocchio IIwas canceled when John Lasseter became Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2006, and made it known he disliked Disneytoon’s sequels and prequels for undercutting the value of the original movies. Along withPinocchio II, sequels toDumbo,The Aristocats,Chicken Little, andMeet the Robinsonswere also canceled.
Pinocchio Got A Live-Action/CGI Remake In 2022 (& It Was A Failure)
Unfortunately, Pinocchio Has Gone Through The Live-Action Remake Treatment
Pinocchiowas saved from a direct-to-video sequel that could have permanently tainted its legacy, but it wasn’t safe from the live-action treatment. Although Disney had already made live-action remakes of some of its animated movies, it didn’t become a trend until the 2010s, and since 2014, the Mouse House has consistently produced live-action remakes. Unsurprisingly, many of them made one too many changes to the original movie and didn’t come close to its success, and one of them is the 2022Pinocchiolive-action remake.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis,Pinocchiostars Tom Hanks as Geppettoand Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth voicing Pinocchio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt voicing Jiminy Cricket. Despite having the same premise and characters (with some new additions) as the animated version,Pinocchiowas a critical failure, holding a 28% critics' score onRotten Tomatoes. Critics called it misguided, soulless, unoriginal, and criticized the changes made to the animated version, particularly the ending, though most praised its visuals. Sadly, Zemeckis’Pinocchiodid no justice to Disney’s animated version.
One Of Pinocchio’s Best Animated Adaptations Wasn’t Made By Disney
Pinocchio Got An Incredible Adaptation The Same Year Disney’s Remake Was Released
Interestingly, the same year Disney released its live-actionPinocchioremake, another animated adaptation of Collodi’s tale was released:Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. This was a stop-motion animated musical movie directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, and though it’s also loosely based on Collodi’s novel, it kept its core themes and darker tone.Del Toro’sPinocchiois set in Fascist Italy during the interwar periodand sees Gepetto still struggling to cope with the death of his son, 20 years later.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has a 96% critics’ score onRotten Tomatoesand a 90% audience score.
This version of Pinocchio, however, is a lot more chaotic due to his lack of self-controlas is more rebellious than Disney’s version, and due to the movie’s time setting, Pinocchio gets involved in darker and more realistic (to an extent) situations.Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiohas a 96% critics’ score onRotten Tomatoesand a 90% audience score, a much better rating than Disney’s remake (and a higher audience score than Disney’s animated version).
Given howdifferent and darker del Toro’sPinocchiois, it re-sparked interest in Disney’s 1940 animated classic, mostly to compare them, but funny enough,it ended up being more beneficial to it than Zemeckis’ live-action remake. The 2022 live-action remake is a bump onPinocchio’s almost impeccable legacy, but at least it never got a direct-to-video animated sequel.
Source:Animated Views.
Disney’s Pinocchio
Gepetto, an old Italian carpenter, wanted to be a father so badly that his puppet of a boy came to life. However, the wooden boy doesn’t know right from wrong and his nose grows when he lies.
