Pinocchio (1940)

Academy Awards, USA 1941

Won Oscar	Best Music, Original Song Leigh Harline (music) Ned Washington (lyrics) For the song "When You Wish Upon a Star"
	Best Music, Original Score Leigh Harline Paul J. Smith Ned Washington

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Disney)

Wood craftsman Geppetto wishes that his latest marionette creation Pinocchio was a real boy to end his loneliness. A "Blue Fairy" visits during the night and grants his wish. On his way to school the next morning, the living puppet is approached by a couple of scoundrels who convince him to perform for a local sideshow. A huge success, the owner of the show locks him up for the night, but the Blue Fairy sets him free. However, before he can get home he meets the same two scoundrels who convince him to take a "vacation" to Pleasure Island. It turns out to be anything but, and Pinocchio is almost turned into a donkey and sold as a slave. He manages to escape and gets home, only to discover Geppetto has gone in search of him and ended up in the belly of a whale. Pinocchio sets off to find him and set him free, leading to a spectacular finale against Monstro the whale. Disney's second animated feature after Snow White is another eye-popping animated masterpiece that has not dated at all. It works on multiple levels: the music, story and characters all combine to transform a simple morality tale into a timeless classic.