The Adventures Of Pinocchio (1996 Film)

''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' is a 1996 fantasy 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 Bender and Barry Berman on the screenplay. The film was an American, British, French, Czech, and German venture produced by New Line Cinema, The Kushner-Locke Company, Savoy Pictures, Pangaea Holdings and Twin Continental Films. The film stars Martin Landau, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Rob Schneider, Udo Kier, Bebe Neuwirth, David Doyle and Geneviève Bujold. The film was both a critical and commercial failure although a direct to video sequel was made.

Plot

Set in the 18th century, the film opens with the kindly Italian woodcarver, Geppetto, declaring his secret love for a woman named Leona by carving their initials in a heart on an old pine tree in the forest. Later, lightning strikes the tree. Many years later, Geppetto, now an old man living alone with his cat and his puppets, returns to the forest. A piece of wood from that tree, bearing the heart Geppetto carved, finds its way into his cart. Feeling a certain affinity for it, he decides to carve a puppet from it. When he finishes his work, he names his new creation Pinocchio, from the pine wood he made him from and for his magnificent eyes. Suddenly, the wooden boy comes to life and shocks the old puppet-maker. Although Geppetto tells Pinocchio that he is not his father, he seeks to protect the puppet, who damages himself while trying to imitate a pigeon leaping and running along the roofs of the city. Later, Pinocchio wanders off, following a child with a ball. He runs into Volpe and Felinet, who try to sell him to the puppet-theater owner Lorenzini. Although Lorenzini agrees to pay a great deal for Pinocchio, Geppetto declines.

Later, Pinocchio follows a group of children and becomes fascinated by school and learning. But a rowdy boy named Lampwick (Corey Carrier) involves him in a violent prank. The teacher punishes Pinocchio harshly, and the puppet is forced to leave the company of the real boys. He then causes a great deal of mischief in a bakery. Geppetto is held responsible for the puppet's actions and arrested. While Geppetto spends the night in a prison cell, Pinocchio returns home and meets 'the voice of truth' in the form of a wise and optimistic cricket named Pepe. Pepe promises to help Pinocchio to become a real boy, if he can promise to be good. The next day, Geppetto and Pinocchio stand before the judge, who rules that unless Geppetto can pay for the damage Pinocchio caused, they will both be sent to prison. Lorenzini steps in and offers to pay off the debt, on the condition that Pinocchio be handed over to his custody. Geppetto strongly refuses, but eventually gives in, believing that perhaps the puppet will be better off that way. Pinocchio is heartbroken and does not want to leave his "father", but Geppetto tells them that he cannot be his father since he is not a real boy. Pinocchio comes to enjoy the theatre and also comes to believe that Lorenzini loves him as much as his Papa did. Pepe tells him that Lorenzini is just using him to gain money and success. Pinocchio comes to realize this as he performs in Lorenzini's play, and manages to save several puppets from being burned by the cruel Lorenzini. As he escapes, he accidentally sets the theatre aflame. He floats away down the river, passing through the woodlands to a quiet church. Volpe and Felinet catch up with him and manage to swindle him out of the few pieces of gold that he still has by telling him that if he buries them in the ground, they will grow and cause a miracle that will turn him into a real boy. Pepe scolds the puppet and proclaims: "Miracles don't grow on trees. Miracles are made in the heart!" Meanwhile, Geppetto and his friend (and secret love) Leona have begun searching the forest for Pinocchio. However, Pinocchio is enticed by Lampwick to join of wagon-load of other boys who are being taken to Terra Magica, a hidden fun-fair for boys where they are encouraged to perform all sorts of cruel and naughty deeds. While riding on a roller-coaster, Lampwick and some others are turned into donkeys by the enchanted water of a huge fountain. They are then rounded up by Lorenzini, who runs the place and intends to sell the donkeys as work animals. Pinocchio, half-transformed himself, frees the donkeys from their pen. Chased by Lorenzini and his henchmen, Pinocchio attempts to warn the others. No one believes him until Lampwick strikes out with his hooves and knocks Lorenzini into the fountain, where he starts transforming into a monster and dives into the river. The boys run from the valley together and free the other donkeys, leaving Pinocchio and the donkey Lampwick to journey alone.

Geppetto and Leona arrive and find Pinocchio's hat, believing him to be lost at sea. Before striking out in a rowboat to search for the puppet, Geppetto finally declares his love for Leona. She angrily cries that she (who was married to his deceased brother for many years) is done waiting for him. However, when Pinocchio arrives she is still there, and takes care of Lampwick while reluctantly allowing Pinocchio to follow Geppetto. The puppet is swallowed by a monstrous whale. Based on Pepe's observation of the inside smelling like "rotten chili peppers", Pinocchio presumes the whale to be Lorenzini. Inside the creature's stomach, Pinocchio is finally reunited with his Papa. In order to escape, Pinocchio tells Geppetto that he hates him. The lie causes Pinocchio's nose to lengthen and push the whale's throat open wider. Pinocchio's nose snapped as they made their escape, leaving his nose lodged within Lorenzini's throat, presumably killing him eventually. They make it back to shore, where Geppetto apologizes for giving Pinocchio away and tells him he loves him, while Pinocchio apologizes for not being the real boy his father wanted him to be. Geppetto, who has fully accepted his son as he is, tells him that he's "real to him". Pinocchio begins to cry tears and turns into a real boy. He proclaims: "Miracles are made in the heart, Papa,". Pepe leaves Pinocchio temporarily to go on a much-needed vacation. On the way home, Pinocchio runs into Volpe and Felinet. He tricks them into drinking from the fountain, where he and the other boys were turned into donkeys. The two swindlers are transformed into a fox and a cat, which results in them being captured by a farmer as new pets. Pinocchio returns to live life as a real boy with his Papa, Leona and his best friend Lampwick, who changed back by becoming good.

Cast

Live action

* Martin Landau as Geppetto, an impoverished Italian puppet maker who accidentally gives Pinocchio life after carving him from an enchanted log. He is initially reluctant to accept the puppet as his son, but warms up to him once he loses him.
* Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Pinocchio, the eponymous character and main protagonist of the film. He seeks to learn about right and wrong so that one day he will become a real boy.
* Geneviève Bujold as Leona, a friend of Geppetto with whom he is secretly in love – a love which is actually mutual, despite her having previously married his late brother. She serves as the Blue Fairy's stand-in in the film.
* Udo Kier as Lorenzini, an original character created for the film. He is an amalgamation of Mangiafuoco, The Coachman and The Terrible Dogfish. His fondness for chili peppers, which give him his somewhat fiery breath, is a homage to Mangiafuoco.
* Bebe Neuwirth as Felinet, a scheming con artist always looking for the next profit. Her name comes from the word "feline", meaning "cat". She and Volpe are based on the Fox and the Cat from the original novel. In the movie, Felinet is smarter than Volpe, while in the novel and in most adaptations, the Fox is smarter than the Cat.
* Rob Schneider as Volpe, Felinet's dim-witted partner and sidekick. His name is the Italian word for "fox". He and Felinet are based on the Fox and the Cat from the original novel.
* Corey Carrier as Lampwick. Unlike in the novel and the 1940 Disney version, Lampwick returns to being human and remains Pinocchio's best friend in the end, and affectionately calls him "Woody" even after they have both become real boys.
* Dawn French as the Baker's Wife. A shrew who works inside the bakery as director; she is like a little tea-pot (being short, stout, and full of steam enough to shout), though she does more damage to her shop than Pinocchio, she sways the court judge to rule in her favour.
* Richard Claxton as Saleo, Lampwick's companion and friend who kicks Pinocchio in class at school. He is turned into a donkey, along with Lampwick and another boy (Joe Swash), after drinking cursed water on Terra Magica's roller coaster. In the end, he reforms and returns to normal, along with all the other boys.
* John Sessions as the Professor, an irritable teacher who Pinocchio inadvertently annoys while attending one of his classes.
* Jerry Hadley as the Judge, a court official who threatens to send Geppetto to a debtors' prison for Pinocchio's irresponsible behavior.
* Jean-Claude Dreyfus as the Foreman

Voice cast

* Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the voice of Pinocchio, in his puppet form.
* Gary Martin as the Giant's voice
* Rob Schneider as the voice of Volpe, in his fox form.
* Bebe Neuwirth as the voice of Felinet, in her cat form.
* David Doyle as the voice of Pepe, a talking cricket who serves as Pinocchio's conscience.

Puppeteers

* Mak Wilson as Pinocchio (lead animatronic puppeteer)
* Robert Tygner
* Michelan Sisti
* Bruce Lanoil as Pinocchio (principal puppeteer)
* William Todd-Jones
* Ian Tregonning

Development

Nearly ten years before the film was eventually made, Jim Henson and director Steve Barron were considering the idea of a live-action version of ''Pinocchio''. They approached Disney with this idea, but Disney turned down the project. Years later, producer Lawrence Mortorff (President of Kushner Locke) sent Barron a script for a film based on the novel by Carlo Collodi. The project then finally got off the ground. For the character of Pinocchio, a complex animatronic puppet created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop was used with stop-motion. Framestore and Cinesite also provided the visual effects for the film.

Principal photography began on July 24, 1995, and wrapped on September 15, 1995. The film was shot in Croatia, Prague, Český Krumlov, and High Force. Pepe, the talking cricket, is computer-animated. One of the biggest changes in the filming was replacing Wallace Shawn with David Doyle, as the voice of Pepe. However, Shawn's voice as Pepe can still be heard in the trailer for the film, and he is even credited in the trailer.

The score by Rachel Portman solos by David Roach.

Reception

Box office

''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' was made on a budget of $25 million. The film had a poor performance in the United States, opening at #8 on its first week, then grossing $15,094,530 at the box office.

Critical reception

Critically, the film 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."

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. 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." 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."

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. 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."

Soundtrack

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 (they were the only two actors to return in the film). Gabriel Thomson played the title role, replacing Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It was shot in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of Pinocchio, The (1996 Film)
1996 animated films
1996 films
1990s children's fantasy films
1990s fantasy adventure films
American children's fantasy films
American fantasy adventure films
British children's fantasy films
British fantasy adventure films
Czech fantasy adventure films
Czech children's films
1990s English-language films
English-language Czech films
English-language French films
English-language German films
Puppet films
Films scored by Rachel Portman
Films directed by Steve Barron
Films set in Italy
Films set in the 19th century
French children's fantasy films
French fantasy adventure films
German children's fantasy films
German fantasy adventure films
Pinocchio films
Savoy Pictures films
New Line Cinema films
Warner Bros. films
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
The Kushner-Locke Company films
CineVox films
1990s American films
1990s British films
1990s French films
1990s German films