Pinocchio

Rating:
Summary: timeless
Review: i loved this movie because it was so charming. it helps children who are becoming moody pre-teens get through that stage of learning. it never gets too complex, but it hints at how different the world is from Sunday School while being age appropriate. it doesn't become condescending. a lot can be accomplished if the family sits down afterwards and discusses its themes. the other reviews are far superior to mine, but i felt moved to offer my spin. Classic Disney movies are never a waste of money because they teach, entertain or remind adults of the problems in being a human being, no matter how old you are.

Rating:
Summary: The Mount Everest of Animated Film
Review: Our century can be proud of roughly a dozen artistic geniuses. Walt Disney was one of them. This movie will testify that statement. His 3 or 4 first full-lenghth films were already the climax, which was never again paralleled. This to me, is one of the best 10 celluloid works of all times. It's simply perfect and Disney didn't get the financial support afterwards that enabled him to create this breathtaking masterwork. Nowadays, there's so much emphasis on the highly praised "effects orgies", but they are mere trilbies, compared to this "chapeau magique".

Rating:
Summary: simply the greatest Disney animated feature, ever!
Review: Pinocchio is the perfect animated feature. The story is magnificent, the characters are solid and well developed, the sound and music are amazing, and the animation is nothing short of breathtaking. It's a bit disappointing to not have a better dvd treatment with lots of extras, but even no extras is not enough to bring it down. If you don't already own it, buy it now.

Rating:
Summary: DISNEY CHAMP
Review: A musical, magical, gorgeously animated movie, Pinocchio is one of the first classic Disney films that began to "brand" the Disney image of enchanting, vigorous family entertainment. The characters, from kindly Geppetto, to the intoxicating Jiminey Cricket, and Cleo, Figaro and all of the "baddies", are endlessly engaging. Flawlessly executed, with a well-constructed, and purposely manipulative screenplay, this movie is one of those rare pieces of commercial art: moving and entertaining at the same time, and genuinely, surprisingly alive and contemporary. If you remember this movie from your childhood, you know how compelling and horrific some of these darkly imagined scenes can be for a child -- and if you have children now who have never seen it, give them a treat they will never forget, along with some lessons that are truer today than ever. A walk down Main Street/Fantasyland in the Disney Parks owes much to the cozy cottages and imagined warmth in light, shadow and music that was first realized for this perfect movie. A delight.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Greats
Review: Everybody loves Pinocchio. The characters, the animation, the EVERYTHING about it is timeless in the joy they bring to people of all ages. You'll wish long with the lonely Geppetto, and see the joys and tragedies of the real world for the first time with Pinnochio. You will even find yourself longing for fish along with Figaro, the cat. Yes, the story is that vivid. The songs, "When you Wish upon a Star" and "Give a Little Whistle", to name two, will give you a feeling you just can't get from the pop hits of today. This movie is one of the ones that helped coin the phrase "Disney Magic". And it is, magical, and magic is impossible to manufacture or formulate, no matter how hard some people attempt at it. Pinocchio will always rank as one of the greatest Disney films of all time. It is a must for any household, whether you have a "Disney collection" or not.

Rating:
Summary: A lousy way to treat your "masterpiece" Disney!
Review: First of all, before any of you fine Amazon.com readers get the wrong idea about my mediocre 3 star rating, Pinocchio is and probably will always be the greatest animated film of all time. Calling Pinocchio a masterpiece is an understatement. I am writing this review on the basis of how fed up I am with the stupidity and greed that Disney has shown of late. Like so many of the 40+ reviewers have said, why was this classic thrown together with such little respect? The transfer to DVD does not improve upon the VHS version, in fact it actually looks downright fuzzy at times. And boy was I ticked off when the "making of Pinocchio" was not included on the DVD, but WAS on the VHS! What am I spending the extra dollars for? Like another reviewer said, Disney just wants the consumer to buy the next version with the extras included. They're no fools, they probably figure if they include the extras on the DVD now, no one will buy it again because DVDs don't wear out! It all comes down to the almighty dollar, right Disney? When Disney does include extras, like on A Bug's Life, they make you buy 2 DVDs! Has anyone at Disney noticed how many hours can be stored on a single DVD? Take Dreamworks for example, they produced a great film in the Prince of Egypt and loaded the DVD with a ton of extras. You don't mind paying a little extra for DVDs like the Prince of Egypt or The Iron Giant (another superb film). Wise up Disney, you won't be able to live on reputation for much longer if you continue trying to rip off the public. The competition is stiff, and darn good! I bet Walt must be turning over in his grave. I would love the folks at Disney to read this review.

Rating:
Summary: Quintessential Disney
Review: "Pinocchio" was Walt Disney's second animated feature, and it is his greatest triumph. It has memorable characters, timeless animation, and great songs, including the Oscar-winning "When You Wish Upon A Star." Cliff Edwards {the voice of Jiminy Cricket} sings that song in the opening credits with such brilliance that it makes you feel alive. Dickie Jones was a magnificent fit for the voice of Pinocchio. He was 12 years old when he did the voice, but, to me, he sounded younger than that. Walt Disney should be proud of himself for making this timeless masterpiece, and he made lots of them, including "Dumbo" and "Bambi." They don't make these kinds of movies anymore, which is both a tragedy and a travesty.

Rating:
Summary: This Disney Used to Scare Me the Most
Review: Disney movies were the joy of my childhood. (I so envy the kids today who can see them at home any time they want to; for me, you had to go to the theatre, and 20 cents for a ticket meant I could only go once a week.) PINOCCHIO was the scariest, because the set-up for Pleasure Island was so exciting, only to see Pinocchio's friends grow long ears and become mean! These days, I think, a lot of the scare-factor is gone because kids see so many movies that have frightening elements in them. But once upon a time, back in the 40s, Walt Disney had to take a chance on frightening the kids because he needed adults to buy the tickets. So in an interesting sense, PINOCCHIO is more of an adult movie than Disney's other full-length features of the time. It certainly deserves a full five stars, but it doesn't topple the best movie of all time (SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS), nor is it as integrated and coherent as CINDERELLA or DUMBO. PINOCCHIO is more episodic, more a collection of scenes with music. If you have an impressionable child, I'd hold off on PINOCCHIO for a while.

Rating:
Summary: A Priceless Family Movie!
Review: A milestone in animated films, but it's also a timeless movie that appeals to kids as well as adults. It's remarkable how all Disney films have been such a big part of so many kids' childhood, and 'Pinocchio' is usually among the ones that leave a profound impact, name another film that could make you more afraid of lying. The animation is still astonishing, the degree of detail is breathtaking, even more impressive by the fact that it was all done by hand and this was one of the earliest animated films. The story has a timelessness to it and an effortless charm that's hard to beat, the movie basically puts you under Disney's spell for 80 rewarding minutes. Out of all the Disney films, 'Pinocchio' and 'Snow White' are the only ones that can be considered classics, not just because they have aged so well or because they have played such a big role in all our childhood, but because there's a certain air of experimentalism to them, animated films were just a new thing and they could take you places you couldn't even imagine. This particularly was a labor or love by everyone involved, you can sense that it was made with dedication and care. Filled with many memorable and enchanting moments, who can forget 'When You Wish Upon A Star'? or even the characters; Gepetto, Cleo, Figaro, Monstro the Whale and especially Jiminy Cricket have been deeply rooted into the American culture. An enchanting film that never gets old. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!

Rating:
Summary: DVD Quality Poor--Disney Still Magical!
Review: Of all DVDs I had the pleasure of watching, this one lacks the high standards attributed to this breakthrough in technology we call DVD. The absence of widescreen is likely due to the fact that feature films in 1940 were almost all in the format more closely relative to TV screens. That fact alone didn't lose any stars from my rating. I was disappointed, however, to see little more than the classic animated movie itself--where are the wonderful "how it all came to be" stories? Where is Walt Disney showing off his new masterpiece feature film? -- The "DVD Magic" is not there, but we still have the "Disney Magic", shining as always!