Uncle Walt-a-thon: Pinocchio
<– Uncle Walt-a-thon: Snow White
So, after a brief delay the Uncle Walt-a-thon continues, this time with Pinocchio. Like Snow White, it’s a technically impressive film with the art, animation, and music. The character art, in particular, improved noticeably. In the older film, characters sometimes stood out against the background due to a simpler colour palette and less texture, like they were obviously animated separately from the environment they were in. Here, that wasn’t a problem at all.
I mentioned last time that Snow White is almost an animation showcase, but Pinocchio is much more story-oriented. It ain’t Les Miserables, obviously, but a lot actually does happen in this film, along with legitimate character growth, which makes it more interesting and satisfying than Snow White. I will say, though, that the Stromboli and Pleasure Island segments are a lot creepier to me now that I’m old enough to know what “human trafficking” is.
Another thing that didn’t occur to me as a child is that Jiminy Cricket is totally useless through the whole movie. I’m pretty sure the only reason he got to be Pinocchio’s conscience to begin with was that the fairy found him amusing, and decided to humour him.
Finally, something I did notice as a child is that they use the word “jackass,” which is pretty cool for a kids’ movie, but it helps drive home the main point, namely, a boy who isn’t good may as well be made out of wood, and if you really act like a jackass - you might just turn into one!