Pinocchio Platinum Edition DVD

Pinocchio comes to DVD, for the third time, in a newly remastered two disc special edition to mark the 70th anniversary of the picture.

The film is one of the last of the Disney Classics to come to DVD but one of the first to come to Blu-Ray (which I won’t be reviewing – haven’t made the switch yet). The Disney special editions are formulaic but reliable, offering up films with pristine picture and sound as well as an informative, yet pretty dry, array of extras. Oh, and every one seems to include an insipid music video (AKA abomination) by a ‘tween star’ of one of the film’s classic songs. This time we get ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ by somebody called Meaghan Jette Martin (who apparently was in Camp Rock – who knew?) The song has to be heard to be believed. Whilst not as painful as ‘Jump 5′ on the Beauty and the Beast DVD, it is still quite offensive, coming across as a hybrid of Cher’s ‘Believe’ and a cheap Poundland interpretation of High School Musical. Anyway…

I would imagine almost everyone is familiar with the story of Pinocchio but what struck me on this most recent viewing was how dark the film is. Few family films give their protagonists such a strong moral dilemma and place them in quite as much mortal danger as Pinocchio. Pinocchio himself has his conscience externalised in the form of Jiminy Cricket, a device that simplifies the story to great effect, highlighting Pinocchio’s plight and making the audience feel even worse when Pinocchio doesn’t listen to it/him/the talking cricket. The film is a coming-of-age production and is as relevant today as it was 70 years ago.

The simplistic moralising is given a dark twist; when Pinocchio lies, his nose grows, but when kids are really bad, they turn into donkeys! Not only are they abducted (in broad daylight) by sinister foxes and dopey cats, but they are then turned into donkeys with no chance of saviour. One of the most frightening moments has to be a crowd of boy-donkeys cowering in a corner, as the threatening shadow of a whip cracks in their direction, surely a moment that warns any children of the dangers of cigarettes and alcohol. Pinocchio barely escapes with his life but we can only imagine what happened to the poor donkeys who got left behind.

The film also exudes a warmth and sentimentality that is typically Disney but also incredibly heartfelt. Geppetto’s blind love for his ‘son’ drives the film and he is rewarded far more than Pinocchio. Jiminy Cricket is an entertaining narrator and the adorable Figaro is one of Disney’s most lifelike felines. The Oscar-winning music also accentuates the innocence and warmth of the fable, nicely used in the simple fire lit DVD menu set in Geppetto’s workshop. If you were a fan before, you’ll still be a fan. If you’ve never seen it, now might be a good time to take a look.

This Disney Platinum Edition presents the film in its original full-screen aspect ratio and the picture quality has been remastered to such an extent that it is almost impossible to believe this film is now 70 years old. Other reviews I’ve read have argued that such dramatic improvements in picture and sound, and the loss of the film’s natural grain, are not presenting the films as they were originally intended to be seen but for animation, I believe the glossier, the better. The older Disney films tend to include a mix of admirers and archived interviews of the filmmakers, making them slightly more dry than the newer documentaries, but also more in-depth.

The audio commentary is conversational and adoring, a must-listen for Disney aficionados. The commentators aren’t afraid to acknowledge the film’s flaws but they also highlight what makes the film so special. This is also covered in the 60 minute documentary on disc two that follows the film’s creation from pre-production to release, including an interesting on-camera interview with Pinocchio’s voice, Dick Jones. The ‘Geppettos – Then and Now’ feature offers a look at today’s toy-makers and seems primed to sell as many Wall-E toys as possible. The DVD also includes the standard games and endless trailers (’Tinker Bell – The Search for the Lost Treasure’ looks particularly abysmal) but the most interesting feature is definitely the deleted scenes section. These lost moments have been recreated from old notes and storyboards, offering a fascinating peek of what could have been, including an alternate ending where it is Geppetto who is in danger of dying, not Pinocchio.

All in all, ‘Pinocchio’ is a predictably solid release and an essential addition to any Disney DVD collection. This is also supposed to be a limited release, though with the recent announcement of a re-release of Disney’s first platinum title, ‘Snow White,’ I’m sure you won’t have to wait long for this to hit DVD or Blu-Ray shelves again.