Pinocchio (Blu-ray)

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Walt Disney's "Pinocchio" (1940), a sequel?

In a way, that's how it was perceived. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) was an experiment in filmmaking that wagered everything Disney had on a bet that the American public would sit through a full-length animated feature--that it could hold their attention, adults as well as kids. Despite the Oscars and acclaim that "Snow White" won, the public was still skeptical that Disney could repeat its success. "Pinocchio" convinced them, and it remains one of Walt Disney's masterpieces, even in the age of CGI. There's such intricate detail in the drawings and backgrounds and such fluid animation and special effects that this film would be praiseworthy even if everything were computer-drawn. But hand-drawn, inked and colored, then photographed in sequence? It's an absolute marvel that proves, with every re-watching, just how far advanced Disney was compared to other filmmakers working in animation.

Now, the second-ever Disney animated feature becomes the second-ever Disney classic animated feature brought to Blu-ray, following on the heels of this past October's release of "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). And how does it look in Hi-Def?

Amazing.

"Sleeping Beauty" was chosen to launch Disney classic animation on Blu-ray for one reason: It was the only old masterpiece shot in widescreen. Studios aren't quite sure whether consumers will accept the square-looking 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the old films on Blu-ray releases, but Disney has obviously given it some thought. The viewing options on this title are either to watch with the dark bands on the left and right (rather than top and bottom, as with many widescreen presentations), or watch with Disney View (pictured to the left). They charged animator Toby Bluth with the task of designing matching decorative strips to act as a picture frame and "ease the eyes" into the smaller, squarer picture. It's nice to have the choice, because purists will want to watch it the way "Pinocchio" first looked in theaters, but those who want the entire surface of their widescreen monitors filled with color can choose Disney View. I watched it both ways, and I have to say that some of the panels actually enhance the viewing, while others are deliberately so subtle that they recede into the background (and you hardly remember you're watching a framed picture), and still others seem more jarring. Some of the best borders come when we're looking inside Stromboli's wagon and the borders are painted to look like outside edges of the wagon to cultivate the illusion that we're looking in. Same with the town and shots inside Gepetto's workshop, or night scenes. There are 16 sets of 2- and 3-dimensional borders which rotate during the course of the film. Highly textured scenes seem to provide the best opportunities for this interesting type of "edge enhancement," while glassy surfaces or open fields pose more difficulties. The borders for the undersea scenes were particularly distracting. But it does provide a different way of watching the film, and I can picture a lot of people choosing this option.

Either way, the focus is on the gorgeous artwork. Every frame is a marvel, with carvings on a cat's bed, even--the kind of attention to detail that all but died with 19th-century craftsmenship. The clocks in Geppetto's workshop are particularly impressive, but every scene has something to delight. In his review of the old edition of the DVD, John J. Puccio remarked that "Nothing before or since has matched Disney's second full-length animated feature for its style, refinement, detail, and texture," and I'd certainly agree that "Pinocchio" remains one of the studio's greatest artistic achievements. I'm sure the level of detail was an inspiration to animators who worked on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Beauty and the Beast," which are among the most detailed CGI efforts.

Though "Pinocchio" was based on an Italian children's book by Carlo Collodi, the Disney version has a real Black Forest look to it, and there are times when you can see similarities in design to that old Grimm Brothers' tale, "Snow White." But the pacing is quicker under the direction of Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, who would also work together on "Fantasia" (1940), with Sharpsteen going on to supervise "Dumbo" (1941) and Luske directing "Cinderella" (1950), "Alice in Wonderland" (1951), "Peter Pan" (1953), and "Lady and the Tramp" from Disney's Golden Era.

"Pinocchio" won Oscars for its music, including Best Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star"--the Jiminy Cricket ballad that became the theme for Walt Disney enterprises. And of course Downtown Disney's "Pleasure Island" nightclub area for adults also takes its name from this film. But we learn on one of the excellent bonus features that "Pinocchio" wasn't even slated to be the studio's second feature film. "Bambi" was penciled in next, but because Walt Disney couldn't figure out how to tell that story, he put it on the backburner and went with a story they knew how to tell. Interestingly, the original drawings of the main character were so disappointing--unsettling, even--that Disney briefly halted production. Eventually, Disney's view prevailed that the character should look less like Collodi's original wooden puppet and shed Collodi's bad boy behavior. As a result, Disney's Pinnochio is more rounded and warm, more simple and naïve than he is willfully naughty. And that was just settling on the character. It took eight writers to craft a screenplay that pleased Disney.

By now most everyone knows the story of how toymaker and clockmaker Geppetto carved a boy-sized marionette and wished that little wooden-head could become a real boy. Enter the blue fairy, who grants Geppetto's wish in stages--bringing the puppet to life, but having him first serve a wooden probationary period until he can prove himself worthy of being a flesh-and-blood boy. Deputized to serve as Pinocchio's conscience is a little cricket named Jiminy (voiced by Cliff Edwards), who entered the shop just to warm up.

Collodi's tale involved "cruel and vicious moralizing," according to some of Disney's current animators, and while Disney's "Pinocchio" is still one large cautionary tale--tell a lie and it grows until it becomes plain as the nose on your face; act naughty and you become a jackass--the cuter and simpler character makes those lessons easier to swallow. Just as the animation and detail enrich the plot, so does character. "Pinocchio" has an emotional content that draws people toward it.

As Pinocchio (voiced by Dickie Jones) heads for school and is easily distracted by Honest John (Walter Catlett), the conniving fox, and Gideon (Mel Blanc), his brainless feline sidekick, we're almost as incredulous as Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards)--though we're one step ahead of Jiminy in knowing that he's headed for trouble. Sure, "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee" (an actor's life for me) is a catchy tune, but as Pinocchio follows them to a "career" as a puppet with no strings for the cruel Stromboli (Charles Judels), it later falls to Jiminy to set him free. Heading home, though, he's distracted again by the same characters, who this time convince him to go with the Coachman (Judels again) to Pleasure Island, where there are no adults and no rules, and kids can do whatever they want--even drink, smoke, shoot pool, and vandalize. Yeah, this is a film that couldn't be made today, and Disney runs a brief PSA before the main feature showing Pinocchio turning green from smoking and warning against it. No PSAs are run to say you shouldn't vandalize or drink beer if you're only a kid.