The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film)

Last updated
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Adventures of pinocchio ver1.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steve Barron
Screenplay by
  • Sherry Mills
  • Steve Barron
  • Tom Benedek
  • Barry Berman
Based on The Adventures of Pinocchio
by Carlo Collodi
Produced by
Starring
Narrated by David Doyle
Cinematography Juan Ruiz Anchía
Edited bySean Barton
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by New Line Cinema (United States)
Barrandov Biografia (Czech Republic) [1]
Metropolitan Filmexport (France) [1]
Warner Bros. (Austria and Germany) [1]
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (International)
Release date
  • July 26, 1996 (1996-07-26)
Running time
96 minutes
Countries
  • United States [2]
  • Czech Republic [2]
  • France [2]
  • United Kingdom [2]
  • Germany [2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million
Box office$15,094,530

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 1996 fantasy comedy family film, directed by Steve Barron and based on the original 1883 novel of the same name by Carlo Collodi. Barron collaborated with Sherry Mills, Tom Benedek and Barry Berman on the screenplay. It was an American, British, French, Czech, and German [2] venture produced by New Line Cinema, The Kushner-Locke Company, Savoy Pictures, Pangaea Holdings and Twin Continental Films. It stars Martin Landau and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It was a critical and commercial failure which led the sequel, The New Adventures of Pinocchio , straight to video.

Contents

Plot

In 18th century in a forest, Italian woodcarver Geppetto carves a heart into a pine tree, expressing his secret love for a woman named Leona. Years later, Geppetto finds the remains of the tree and carves a marionette out of it, naming him Pinocchio. Due to the heart's magic, Pinocchio comes to life.

Pinocchio meets a pair of thieves, Volpe and Felinet, who work for Lorenzini, a sinister theater director and puppet master. Lorenzini tries to purchase Pinocchio, but Geppetto refuses to sell his son.

Pinocchio gets into a fight with the rowdy Lampwick and when he lies about it, his nose grows longer and he is kicked out of the class. Pinocchio ends up causing damage to a local bakery, and Geppetto is arrested as a result. Pinocchio flees home, meeting a talking cricket, Pepe, who tells Pinocchio to behave and stay out of trouble to become a real boy. The next day, Pinocchio and Geppetto are put on trial at court. Lorenzini enters, offering to pay off the debt if Pinocchio is given over to him. Geppetto reluctantly agrees.

Pinocchio becomes the star of Lorenzini's productions, and is given gold coins as payment. Pinocchio rescues several of Geppetto's puppets from being burnt by Lorenzini, unintentionally setting the theater on fire.

Pinocchio spots a stage coach passing by, carrying Lampwick and other boys, travelling to Terra Magica, a hidden fun-fair for boys to do as they please. Drinking the water of Terra Magica turns them into donkeys. The fun-fair turns out to belong to Lorenzini, who sells the donkeys off to circuses and farms. Pinocchio has Lampwick kick Lorenzini into the cursed water, transforming him into a sea monster and forcing him to flee into the ocean. The boys and donkeys escape the fun-fair, and Pinocchio reunites with Leona at the beach before setting out to find his father at sea.

After trying and failing to find Geppetto out at sea, Pinocchio and Pepe are consumed by the sea monster. Both are reunited with Geppetto inside his stomach, which both Pepe and Gepetto describe as smelling like "rotten chili peppers". As they attempt to escape the sea monster, they find that his throat is too small to enter through. Pinocchio lies to extend his nose and make the passage in the monster's throat larger, causing his nose to break. The monster starts to choke, spitting Geppetto and Pinocchio out, before suffocating and sinking to the depths. On land, Pinocchio apologizes to Geppetto for not being a real boy, but Geppetto tells him that he is real to him and they embrace. As Pinocchio begins to cry, the tears land on the heart carving and the same magic that brought him to life transforms him into a real boy. Pinocchio tricks Volpe and Felinet, into drinking the cursed water and turns them into a real fox and real cat. Back at home Geppetto and Leona marry, and Pinocchio goes off to play with Lampwick, who among many others has turned back into a boy after performing many good deeds.

Cast

Live action

Voice

Puppeteers

Reception

Critically, The Adventures of Pinocchio received a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 reviews with the consensus: "The Adventures of Pinocchio is an admirably faithful adaptation of the source material, but it may be too frightening for younger viewers – and too dull for older ones." [4]

On the television review series Siskel & Ebert , Roger Ebert expressed disappointment with the film, while Gene Siskel praised the special effects, and remarked that he believed the film to be a faithful adaptation of the book, as opposed to Disney's interpretation, which strayed significantly from it. [5] Ebert gave the film a two out of four stars and said, "The story is told with visual grace, but lacks excitement. Even Pinocchio's little cricket friend seems more like a philosopher than a ringmaster. Smaller children may be caught up by the wonder of it all, but older children may find the movie slow and old-fashioned." [6] Joe Leydon of Variety gave the film a mostly positive review, writing "The Adventures of Pinocchio is a well-crafted and gently charming version of the classic 1883 novel by Carlo Collodi. Unfortunately, this live-action, non-musical adaptation must compete with vivid (and, in many cases, video-enhanced) memories of Disney's beloved 1940 animated feature." [7]

In her seminar "The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film", Rebecca West found The Adventures of Pinocchio to be relatively faithful to the original novel, although she noted major differences, such as the replacement of the Blue Fairy by the character of Leona. [8] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times , gave the film a negative review, writing "Despite the interesting differences between the latest Pinocchio, which mixes animated and live characters, and the wholly animated Disney version, the new film simply doesn't generate much magical enchantment." [9]

Soundtrack

No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."II Colosso" Brian May, Lee Holdridge Jerry Hadley, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Brian May, (from Queen) Just William7:36
2."Luigi's Welcome" Spencer Proffer, David Goldsmith (lyricist), HoldridgeHadley2:33
3."All for One"Craig TaubmanThe Morling School Ensemble with Jonathan Shell2:27
4."Kiss Lonely Good-Bye (with orchestra)" Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder 4:39
5."Hold On to Your Dream (with orchestra)"WonderWonder4:21
6."Theme from Pinocchio" Rachel Portman  7:17
7."Lorenzini"Portman 3:22
8."Terra Magica"Portman 3:56
9."Pinocchio Becomes a Real Boy"Portman 5:10
10."Kiss Lonely Good-Bye (Harmonica with orchestra)"WonderWonder4:39
11."Pinocchio's Evolution"WonderGeppetto's Workshop3:46
12."What Are We Made Of"MayMay, Sissel3:41
13."Hold On to Your Dream"WonderWonder6:00
14."Kiss Lonely Good-Bye"WonderWonder5:02
Total length:64:38

Sequel

A sequel was released in 1999 called The New Adventures of Pinocchio. Landau reprised his role as Geppetto, while Kier was recast as Lorenzini's estranged wife, Madame Flambeau. Gabriel Thomson played the title role, replacing Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It was shot in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Adventures of Pinocchio</i> 1883 childrens novel by Carlo Collodi

The Adventures of Pinocchio, commonly shortened to Pinocchio, is an 1883 children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pinocchio and his creator and father figure, a poor woodcarver named Geppetto.

<i>Pinocchio</i> (1940 film) American animated musical fantasy film

Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, it is the studio's second animated feature film, as well as the third animated film overall produced by an American film studio, after Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fleischer Studios' Gulliver's Travels (1939). With the voices of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, and Frankie Darro, the film follows a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who is created by an old woodcarver, Geppetto, and brought to life by a blue fairy. Wishing to become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish." Along his journey, Pinocchio encounters several characters representing the temptations and consequences of wrongdoing, as a cricket named Jiminy, who takes the role of Pinocchio's conscience, attempts to guide him in matters of right and wrong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairy with Turquoise Hair</span> Fictional character

The Fairy with Turquoise Hair, often simply referred to as the Blue Fairy, is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly appearing at critical moments in Pinocchio's wanderings to admonish the little wooden puppet to avoid bad or risky behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fox and the Cat</span> Fictional characters

The Fox and the Cat are a pair of fictional characters and the main antagonists, along with The Coachman and The Terrible Dogfish, in Italian writer Carlo Collodi's 1883 book Le avventure di Pinocchio. They are depicted as poor con artists, who hoodwink Pinocchio and attempt to murder him. They pretend to be disabled: the Fox lame and the Cat blind. The Fox appears to be more intelligent than the Cat, who usually limits himself to repeating the Fox's words.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangiafuoco</span> Fictional character

Mangiafuoco is a fictional character who appears in Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio, serving as a secondary antagonist turning good.

<i>Pinocchio: The Series</i> 1972 Japanese anime TV series

Pinocchio: The Series, also known as Saban's The Adventures of Pinocchio and known as Mock of the Oak Tree in Japan, is a 52-episode anime series by Tatsunoko Production first aired on Fuji Television in 1972, which was edited by Saban in 1990. The story is based on the 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Coachman</span> Fictional character

The Coachman, also known as The Little Man, is a fictional character and a major antagonist from Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio, in which he appears in chapters XXXI and XXXIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Terrible Dogfish</span> Fictional character

The Terrible Dogfish is a dogfish-like sea-monster, which appears in Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio as the final antagonist. It is described as being larger than a five-story building, a kilometer long and sporting three rows of teeth in a mouth that can easily accommodate a train. So fearsome is its reputation, that in Chapter XXXIV, it is revealed that the Dogfish is nicknamed "The Attila of fish and fishermen".

<i>Geppetto</i> (film) 2000 American film

Geppetto is a 2000 American made-for-television musical film based on the popular 1883 Italian children's book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. While not a direct adaptation of the 1940 animated film, it features a few elements such as the character of Figaro, the "I've Got No Strings" song as well as Pleasure Island. It features original songs written by Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz had developed the songs as a reunion for stars Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, but Andrews was undergoing throat surgery so the idea was dropped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land of Toys</span> Fictional location

The Land of Toys is a fictional location in the Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) that is disguised as a haven of freedom and anarchy for children, but is eventually discovered to be far more sinister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geppetto</span> Carpenter of Pinocchio

Geppetto is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator of Pinocchio. He wears a yellow wig resembling cornmeal mush, and consequently his neighbors call him "Polendina" to annoy him. The name Geppetto is a Tuscan diminutive of the name Giuseppe.

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 2007 opera in two acts by Jonathan Dove with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton based on the 1883 Italian novel of the same name by Carlo Collodi. It tells of the creation of the wooden puppet Pinocchio and some of his adventures on the way to becoming a real boy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinocchio</span> Fictional character created by Carlo Collodi

Pinocchio is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan village. He is created as a wooden puppet, but he dreams of becoming a real boy. He is known for his long nose, which grows when he lies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talking Cricket</span> Fictional character

The Talking Cricket is a fictional character that appears in the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candlewick (character)</span> Fictional character

Candlewick or Lampwick is a fictional character who appears in Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio.

<i>Disneys My Son Pinocchio: Geppettos Musical Tale</i> Musical

Disney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale is a musical based on Disney's 2000 made-for-television movie Geppetto, which was in turn based on a book by David Stern, and features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. As in the TV film, when Pinocchio runs away to become a star in Stromboli's puppet show, Geppetto must negotiate through a maze of adventures and comic encounters to find him.

<i>Pinocchio</i> (2012 film) 2012 Italian film

Pinocchio is a 2012 Italian animated film directed by Enzo D'Alò. It is based on the 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. The film had a budget of about €8 million. It was screened out of competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.

<i>The Adventures of Pinocchio</i> (1972 miniseries) 1972 Italian TV series or program

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 1972 Italian five-part miniseries directed by Luigi Comencini, which originally aired weekly on Rai 1 between April 8 and May 6, 1972. Based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel with the same name, the miniseries received a large critical success, and had an average of twenty-one and a half million viewers during its first airing. All the episodes together make up 280 minutes of runtime.

<i>Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio</i> 2022 film by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a 2022 stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with a story by Matthew Robbins and del Toro, and a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale. It is loosely based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, with Pinocchio's character design strongly influenced by Gris Grimly's illustrations for a 2002 edition of the book. The film follows Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver, Geppetto. Set in Fascist Italy during the interwar period, the film stars the voice of Gregory Mann as Pinocchio and David Bradley as Geppetto, alongside Ewan McGregor, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton. Pinocchio was the final film credited to Gustafson before his death in 2024.

<i>Pinocchio</i> (2022 live-action film) 2022 film directed by Robert Zemeckis

Pinocchio is a 2022 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Zemeckis and Chris Weitz. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Depth of Field and ImageMovers, this film is a live-action remake of Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Pinocchio, which is itself based on the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It stars Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, and Luke Evans with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, and Lorraine Bracco in voice roles. The reimagined story follows a wooden puppet named Pinocchio, who is brought to life by a blue fairy (Erivo) after being crafted by an old Italian woodcarver named Geppetto (Hanks). While the role of Pinocchio's conscience Jiminy Cricket (Gordon-Levitt) attempts to guide Pinocchio in matters of right and wrong, Pinocchio encounters a host of unsavory characters in his efforts to become a real boy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)". UniFrance . Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  3. "Martin Landau's Father Role Is Unlike Any Other". Csmonitor.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  4. "The Adventures of Pinocchio". Rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  5. "Siskel & Ebert – The Adventures Of Pinocchio (1996)". At the Movies (U.S. TV series). YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  6. Ebert, Roger. "The Adventures of Pinocchio movie review (1996) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com/. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  7. Leydon, Joe (22 July 1996). "The Adventures of Pinocchio". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  8. West, Rebecca. "The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film". Fathom Archive. The University of Chicago Library: Digital Collections. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  9. AP (July 26, 1996). "FILM REVIEW;That Boy of the Telltale Nose Who's Too Good to Be Wood". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2020.