The story of Pinocchio is one of the most familiar and well-known tales of all time. The folks at Disney have given home video audiences a true treat with the release of the Pinocchio Signature Collection Blu-Ray.
It contains hours of classic bonus material and exclusive new features including a re-imagined rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star, never-before-seen artwork from the film’s Pleasure Island sequence, recordings of Walt Disney himself working during the Pinocchio production and a recently restored and scored 1927 short film that features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Pinocchio, at its heart, is a simple tale. It tells the story of keep-to-himself wood-carver Geppetto. He creates a beloved puppet who comes to life and then goes on a thrilling quest – with faithful friend Jiminy Cricket – that tests his bravery, loyalty and honesty, all virtues he must learn to fulfill his heart’s desire: to become a real boy.
The 1940 film is considered one of the best animated films of all time. It was also groundbreaking in that it brought legions of folks to the cinema who were not necessarily young, but extraordinarily young at heart. It spoke to kids and adults and, to this day, still does. It has aged extremely well in the last seven-plus decades and could explain why there has never been an effort to “remake” or “redo” this Disney classic, as the studio has done with so many of its properties. It was one of Walt’s first passion projects and that love can be seen in every single frame of the film, and even seeps into the bonus features that are sure to delight longtime fans and new appreciators of Pinocchio alike.
As an enormous fan of Walt Disney himself, one of our favorite bonus featurettes on the Pinocchio Blu-Ray is Walt’s Story Meetings: Pleasure Island. It seems that the Pleasure Island scene in the iconic flick had much more of a history than previously known. Pixar director Pete Docter (Inside Out) and Disney historian/author J.B. Kaufman present artwork that has only recently been discovered in the Disney Animation research library. It reveals many of the attractions, games and gags that Disney animators had crafted for this legendary location for the film, which sadly never saw the light of day or made it into the beloved feature film.
For those Walt fanatics, you don’t want to miss In Walt’s Words. That feeling that Pinocchio was one of his most beloved projects is confirmed in so many ways on this featurette that finds the Disney founder discussing the process of crafting the film. It is a fascinating look inside the mind of a creative genius. It is also as inspiring for those who are creative types. To hear from the man himself, who was responsible for bringing the world so much joy, is simply priceless.
Don’t miss The Pinocchio Project: When You Wish Upon a Star. Maker Studios brought together “music influencers” Alex G, Tanner Patrick and JR Aquino as they put their own stamp on the film’s Oscar-winning song. How important is this classic track? If you’ve seen any Walt Disney movie recently, you might notice that the instrumental chorus that accompanies the company’s logo is… you guessed it – When You Wish Upon a Star! The Maker-made video is fresh, unique and an update of a classic that is surprisingly welcome.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Poor Papa is a recently rediscovered and restored 1927 short film that should be quite the thrill for Walt Disney animation fans seeking something from the past that they might have never seen before. Our friend Oswald the Lucky Rabbit gets a slew of visits from the stork and is forced to attempt various methods to stop an onslaught of baby deliveries. If it sounds like a set-up for a classic Disney short animated film from the studio’s early days, that is because it is… and should not be missed. It also would be a great little joy for new-to-the-joys-of-Disney viewers to discover something that is 11 years short of a century old and to see how animation, when done right, can be truly timeless.
Also included in this release are all the classic bonus features that have been available on all previous versions of the Pinocchio home video release, which add up to hours of enlightening and entertaining featurettes. Don’t miss the deleted scenes, sing-alongs and of course the iconic storyboards that give us insight into the creative excellence that went into making a master class in animation excellence.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A