Pinocchio (1940)
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100% of critics liked it
(39 reviews) -
66% of users liked it
(248,933 ratings)
When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto (Christian Rub) builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio (Dick Jones), is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. But,… More When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto (Christian Rub) builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio (Dick Jones), is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. But, even with the help of Jiminy (Cliff Edwards), a cricket who the fairy assigns to be Pinocchio's conscience, the marionette goes astray. He joins a puppet show instead of going to school, he lies instead of telling the truth, and he travels to Pleasure Island instead of going straight home. Yet, when Pinocchio discovers that a whale has swallowed Geppetto, the puppet single-mindedly journeys into the ocean and selflessly risks his life to save his father, thereby displaying that he deserves to be a real boy. Based on a series of stories by 19th century Italian author Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio came under fire for being a sugarcoated version of its original tale, but the film's moral did have a strong educational effect on children. Soon enough, a 16 mm excerpt from the picture, titled "Pinocchio: A Lesson in Honesty," was released for teachers to use in schools. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske
- Genres
- Animation, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Feb 7, 1940 Wide
- Studio
- RKO
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Pinocchio is a substantial piece of entertainment for young and old.
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, TIME Magazine
The charm, humor and loving care with which it treats its inanimate characters puts it in a class by itself.
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Frank S. Nugent, New York Times
It still is the best thing Mr. Disney has done and therefore the best cartoon ever made.
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, Time Out
Probably shows Disney's virtues and vices more clearly than any other cartoon.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The moral lessons include a literalization of metaphors about lying and other forms of misbehaving, and the grasp of a little boy's emotions and behavior often borders on the uncanny.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Dick Jones
as Pinocchio
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Cliff Edwards
as Jiminy Cricket
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Christian Rub
as Geppetto
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Walter Catlett
as J. Worthington Foulfellow
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Mel Blanc
as Gideon
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Don Brodie
as Barker
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Frankie Darro
as Lampwick
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Charles Judels
as Stromboli the coachman
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Evelyn Venable
as The Blue Fairy
- Dickie Jones


