The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996)

Apparently aimed at very small children and the simple-minded, adults may decide that the best aspect of this kiddie flick is the clamshell box with its dual image "Magic Action Art." Though strong technically, the blend of digital effects, animation, mattes, and miniatures is eventually too much of a hodgepodge. The plot is a confusing jumble of classic fairy-tale elements and jarring contemporary accents, attitudes, and lowbrow humor. The only real performers are Martin Landau, who is very classy as Geppetto, and a sad-looking Geneviéve Bujold. Syrupy child-star Jonathan Taylor Thomas makes you long to toss another puppet on the fire. However, the story basically follows Carlo Collodi's fairy tale and the music is enjoyable, especially the songs by Stevie Wonder. This should maintain the interest of youngsters age 8 and under. --Rochelle O'Gorman Amazon.com

Very Bad Movie

This movie is totally unlike all of the other Pinocchio movies I have ever seen. It didn't follow the Pinocchio theme and wasn't really about honesty. If you like the story of Pinocchio, the original version is the best. October 20, 2007

A underrated little gem

I luv everything about this film,the cast,the music.

Stevie Wonder is a genuis!! September 20, 2007

Sicko Pinocchio

I watched most of this movie with a Kindergarten class as a substitute teacher. I found it totally inappropriate for children and was shocked to see that it was rated G. It has many very dark scenes and a considerable amount of violence as well as several sexually suggestive scenes. I'm sure many of the kids had nightmares after watching it. Any parent should consider this a PG-13 film and then be cautious about kids seeing it. For the little ones the Disney version is the way to go. May 18, 2007

for OLDER viewers

Contrary to the initial review by Rochelle O'Gorman, this film is NOT for the SIMPLE-MINDED, nor is it appropriate for YOUNG viewers!!! It is for OLDER viewers and interesting only because of the ANIMATION techniques,filming in Prague, costumes, scenery, acting, etc. DISNEY is the only true,traditional Pinocchio---with special music, Christian theme with angels, a real friend in Jiminy Cricket, the gold fish, the cat--much more imaginative and suitable for very young children AND adults!!! September 3, 2006

Nice-Looking, Nicely Done Pinocchio

This is one of the better "family films" that adults would still enjoy, and I don' mean to use that as a clich?. Suffice to say it's a fast-moving story, is creatively done and looks super on DVD. This was a stunner, visually-speaking.
The creativity - especially for a film 10 years old - involves the wonderful special-effects that make the famous wooden puppet so lifelike. I haven't seen it in eight or nine years but when this came out first on VHS I remember being shocked at the visuals and how real things looked. The DVD enhances it another notch.
This is not an animated film, and the story is a bit different from other versions. How faithful this is to the original story, I cannot tell you, because I never was a big fan of the story. I can tell you, however, that Martin Landau is very good playing Pinochhio's creator "Geppetto."
I found it interesting that the cricket in this story was called "Pepe," not Jiminy Cricket. At any rate, this is a nicely-done version of the famous kids' story. April 15, 2006

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