Pinocchio: Disney's Animated Classic Still Holds a Perfect Score

In the world of Disney animation, few movies are as revered and cherished as Pinocchio! Released in 1940, it's one of the greatest! It's got a rare perfect rating, a 100% "Rotten Tomatoes" score. Talk about a timeless movie.

Pinocchio: The Animated Classic

This amazing tale, the second Disney feature film, made a splash, thanks to those amazing animations. Pinocchio took the classic Italian children's story, from the 19th century and created a beloved version! Everyone's favorite, Geppetto is a toymaker who crafts a wooden puppet named Pinocchio and makes a big wish! This wooden toy, wants to be a real boy. And the Blue Fairy grants him his big wish!

A Story That Stays With You

Pinocchio performing on stage in Disney's Pinnochio. Image

The fairy comes in and gives this puppet a very serious job - to learn the meaning of "honesty, truthfulness and being brave. What makes it even cooler is she gives Pinocchio, a trusty companion, Jiminy Cricket, who is his conscious and there to help him out with moral advice.

However, even with that support Pinocchio doesn't have the right instincts and he faces real-world issues including getting caught up in some trouble. A truly powerful lesson about growing up. A heartwarming and powerful moment, making "Pinocchio" an iconic tale.

A Possible Sequel That Never Was

Geppetto Holding Pinocchio in Disney's Pinocchio Image

But a beloved classic was nearly changed! In the early 2000s there was a thought of a new story! What made Disney different is that the animation studio created tons of sequel movies, that were sometimes really popular! But it appears "Pinocchio never got the sequel. However, in the 2000s, the now defunct Disneytoon Studio brought out plenty of these sequels and a version called "Pinocchio II."!

What was even more incredible is they already had an initial idea!

The sequel was going to pick up right after the movie. There were a few twists as the plot was in an "experimental, and odd journey." The idea, however, fell apart and that's a great thing, as fans still remember "Pinocchio."

Why Pinocchio II Never Got Made

Tom Hanks as Geppetto talking to Pinocchio. Image

The truth about Pinocchio being nearly a sequel! John Lasseter stepped into Disney back in 2006. With that he took control as the director of "Walt Disney Animation Studios." That means there was going to be new leadership and, as a matter of fact, the original, classic version had to be kept!

Lasseter, even after taking over at "Walt Disney Animation Studios," shared an important view, which made it even clearer what the big picture was going to be - to take great care in protecting the originals.
He stopped all these sequels from coming out like "Pinocchio II"!
Some fans really thought that a few of these originals should've come to the screens but Lasseter, put a stop to all those plans.
Some other series, "Dumbo", "The Aristocats," "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons", also did not make the cut!

There's a good reason why some fans think that this was truly the best outcome!

A New Pinocchio from Disney

That was only one event, that would put Pinocchio at risk! There was a 2022 version released from Disney that did more harm than good.

There is another live-action remake! This time Disney got a hold of the classic Pinocchio and did a big remake using a blend of live-action and CGI. But there is always that chance for something to not go according to plan.

In 2022, Robert Zemeckis became the director, making the special effects super awesome, however it wasn't quite a match!
The cast featured an impressive line-up of talent - Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But all of this couldn't keep it from becoming a failure in the world of movie ratings!
In 2022, "Rotten Tomatoes" gave a "28% rating! A score that truly doesn't match the charm of the original!

Some things shouldn't be touched! Fans who were eager to see a fresh take were not enthralled! Those who are familiar with this story and watched the animated version that was so special felt the new movie had so many flaws.

A Different Take:

While those fans weren't overly thrilled, another director put a whole different kind of "Pinocchio" on the big screen and everyone took notice! You will get an exciting take if you watch Guillermo del Toro's version that was also made in 2022!

Guillermo del Toro went out of his way to showcase how this story can come together and this version, it might just change how you look at these Disney favorites! It wasn't the same, instead, the film was inspired by the children's classic story.

It is so unique how this filmmaker took this classic tale and really gave it a new sense of beauty and the horror elements brought an extra sense of thrill!

The result was an even better version and gave audiences a truly amazing alternative version.

And even more interesting- it gave the classic version another round of popularity!

It just goes to show! There are plenty of exciting adaptations for any kind of tale that come out!

A lesson learned by the Disney Animation Studios, not to make a change for the sake of change! Those who enjoy classic animation, know that there is just so much heart to appreciate and, at least for the moment, it's time to watch the original!