Like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as a child Pinocchio never really resonated with me. The pacing was a little slow and I was scared by Stromboli and the idea that there was a place where bad behavior could turn you into a donkey. Re-watching it now, it’s still not my favorite film, but those problems are completely removed.
Pinocchio has aged very well. It is often referred to as the most beautiful of the original golden age films, if not the entire Disney canon, and with good reason. The hand-painted backgrounds are all gorgeous, it’s full of great character design, and, unlike Snow White, the character movement feels natural throughout. There really isn’t anything here that reveals the film was premiered in 1940. One of the things that stood out about it to me were the fact that, while it opens with a shot of the storybook, like the other early animated fairy tales, the book in this case is animated, as opposed to the live action used in the other films.
This film probably plays better for slightly older audiences than the youngest children, and some modern parents may object to the main characters smoking and drinking in several scenes, but this is an excellent film which should not be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment