Pinocchio

Release Date: February 23, 1940

Walt Disney's second full-length animated feature continued to push his animators into new territory as they improved their animation skills and ingenuity. This was not just limited to what they did on paper. I once came across a story that shared when Walt saw the array of clocks that were designed for Geppetto's workshop, he commented that none of those clocks could exist in the real world. The animators took on that challenge, and eventually presented a fully functioning replica to Walt. His response? "What took you so long?"

The legendary multi-place camera used by the Disney studio was finished in 1937 and Pinocchio became the first full-length animated feature film to extensively use this new technology, which added even more depth to the animation. One of Walt's trademarks was that he never rested on his laurels; he always pushed himself and his employees to excel.

Unfortunately, Pinocchio was not a financial success for Walt and his studio. This can mostly be blamed on the outbreak of World War II and lost revenue in Europe due to the world events taking place. That being said, Pinocchio was not forgotten, and the opening song, When You Wish Upon a Star, has basically become the theme song for the entire Disney company.

I love this movie. It has a great story, and is filled with a lot of humor. I love Pinocchio's innocence. For example, shortly after coming to life, he and Figaro are playing with a candle flame. Pinocchio's wooden finger catches fire and his response is, "Look! Pretty!" Or there's the part on Pleasure Island when he exclaims, "Being bad is a lot of fun, ain't it!" It's funny to me! This movie also probably has my favorite plot hole of all time. Pinocchio spends an extended amount of time on the bottom of the ocean with no problem, but at the end of the movie he ends up face down in a puddle and drowns! It doesn't make sense, and it makes me laugh!

Through his experiences, and with Jiminy Cricket (mostly) at his side, Pinocchio learns the difference between the frivolous pleasures of the world and what matters most. In the end, he learns how to become brave, truthful, and unselfish. I think Pinocchio represents most people as we go on our own journeys through this life and learn for ourselves how to tell between right and wrong and choose what has the most lasting value.