Pinocchio (1940)

I remember seeing Disney's Pinocchio as a child but I cannot remember how I felt about it. The adorable wooden boy whose nose would grow when telling a lie is all I could remember from this classic. So I figured it was time to rewatch it. 

As everyone knows, the film tells the story of an old wood-carver named Geppetto (voiced by Christian Rub) who makes a wooden puppet and names it Pinocchio (voiced by Dickie Jones). One night, before going to bed, he wishes that Pinocchio could be a real boy. The wish is granted by the fairy godmother (voiced by Evelyn Venable) who brings the wooden doll to life. But before he can become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove himself to be good. 

I haven't read Carlo Collodi's children book (and I should be ashamed of myself as we are both Italians) so I don't know how faithful this adaptation is, but I can tell you that it's a charming one. The story is surprisingly dark and complex for a Disney movie as it deals with themes such as responsibility, and morality. Also, the plot quickly moves from one situation to another which prevents the film from being too long and possibly boring.

The characters are pretty charming too. Pinocchio is not the most interesting of leads, but he is so innocent and naive, playful and often adorable that it's impossible to not like him. Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio's conscience, is a funny little fella --it's from his exasperation and being fed up with Pinocchio that most of the comedy comes from. Geppetto is such a kindhearted character, and his pets, Figaro the cat and Cleo the goldfish, are very sweet.

The villains are pretty good too --Stromboli (voiced by Charles Judels) is quite intimidating and Coachman (also voiced by Charles Judels) is such a creepy, evil man. My favourites though are Honest John (voiced by Walter Catlett), the fox, and Gideon, the cat. They aren't as scary as the other two but they, especially the fox, are to be blamed for every bad thing happening in the film.

RKO Radio Pictures

The film also has a great deal of humour and good, catchy songs. The most charming aspect of Pinocchio though is the animation. This film was made almost 80 years ago and still looks gorgeous. The colours, the attention to details, the characters, the sceneries, they are truly beautiful.