Pinocchio (1940)

Directed by Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske. Starring (voices) Cliff Edwards, Dick Jones, Christian Rub, Walter Catlett, Frankie Darro, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, Stuart Buchanan. [G]

Timeless tale of wishing upon stars, the temptations and repercussions of sinful behavior, and the well- meaning nag known as a conscience. Ostensibly based on the Carlo Collodi book, the narrative diverges often from the source material, but it’s still a sturdy setup: benevolent wood-carver Gepetto crafts a marionette called Pinocchio that’s brought to life by the Blue Fairy after he wishes the puppet was his child. Dabbles in schmaltz, but no major missteps on the dangerous path little Pinocchio takes to become a real boy; most characters are carved in loving detail out of substances more expressive than wood, with special marks to avuncular Jiminy Cricket and sinister swindler Honest John (no need to ask how/why these anthropomorphic animals exist in society). Beautifully animated, with a few standout sequences that still rate among the most memorable in the Disney vaults, especially the white-knuckle flight from Monstro the whale. The melody of classic tune “When You Wish Upon a Star” later became The Walt Disney Company’s theme music. Mel Blanc voiced Honest John’s feline sidekick, Gideon, but after the character was reimagined as being mute, all that remains of his vocal performance are a few hiccups. A semi-live-action remake arrived more than eighty years later.

90/100