TW: Rant
So, I just rewatched the original Pinocchio for nostalgia and the fact I’m planning to compare it to the live action one (which I’m watching tomorrow). I remembered vaguely that it was darker than some kids movies as a kid, and it kinda scared me, but it was also among my favorites (and still is!). I thought “It can’t be THAT bad!”
I was wrong.
As a kid, we wouldn’t have noticed it as much, due to the whimsy added, but it deals with some heavy stuff, which I’ll get into later. The ONLY thing it had a warning about was tobacco, and on the DVD, it made a little commercial with some clips during the Pleasure Island scenes (was that really the best name, Disney?). While smoking is bad, they didn’t even mention the drinking along with it, which I find odd.
But, what I’m more concerned over the fact Pinocchio was literally k1dnapped TWICE. Once, he was sold to that Stromboli guy, who locked him in a cage, where we got the “lesson” about lying (I don’t understand how he proved himself t9 be truthful, since all he did was say “Oh, please! I’ll never tell a lie again!” yeah, you Cinderella knockoff, maybe MAKE him tell you what REALLY happened before you let him out?). Then, he’s basically h@r@ssed AGAIN (just more violently) and taken to a place where the Coachman is practicing his black magic and human tr@ff1cking.
THEN! Pinocchio gets eaten by a whale (how Tf was Gappeto not digested??? He had said he’d been in there for days) and almost causes the death of Gappeto.
I get it was teaching kids the do’s and don’ts of life, but that’s a really dark way of doing it!
Still, awesome movie! 10/10 /hj