The Adventures of Pinocchio
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steve Barron
Produced by	Heinz Bibo Raju Patel Jeffrey M. Sneller Co-Producer: Dieter Geissler Samuel Hadida Tim Hampton Michael MacDonald Edward Simons Executive Producer: Donald Kushner Peter Locke Sharad Patel Co-Executive Producer: Lawrence Mortorff
Written by	Sherry Mills Steve Barron Tom Benedek Barry Berman Novel: Carlo Collodi
Starring	Martin Landau Jonathan Taylor Thomas Rob Schneider Udo Kier with Bebe Neuwirth David Doyle (voiced) 'Pepe' and Geneviève Bujold
Music by	David Goldsmith Lee Holdridge Rachel Portman Craig Taubman Songs: Brian May Stevie Wonder
Cinematography	Juan Ruiz Anchía
Editing by	Sean Barton
Studio	The Kushner-Locke Company Savoy Pictures
Distributed by	New Line Cinema (USA) PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (UK)
Release date(s)	July 26, 1996
Running time	96 min.
Country	USA/UK / France / Germany /Italy
Language	Italian English
Followed by	The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1999)

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 1996 film directed by Steve Barron and starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Martin Landau, Geneviève Bujold, Griff Rhys Jones, John Sessions, Udo Kier, Bebe Neuwirth, Dawn French, Rob Schneider, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, and Corey Carrier. It is a fairy tale/fantasy story (aimed at a family audience) about a wooden puppet who comes to life after being carved by a puppetmaker named Gepetto (Martin Landau). It is based on Carlo Collodi's original novel of the same name. It was shot in Croatia, Prague,Český Krumlov, and High Force. For the character of Pinocchio, a complex animatronic puppet created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop was used. Pepe, the talking cricket, is computer-animated. Rachel Portman's score features saxophone solos by David Roach.

In the United States, the film was rated G. This was New Line's first G-rated movie. Upon its release, the film garnered generally negative reviews from critics, although some deemed it a worthy adaptation.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Development 3 Reception 4 Sequel 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

The film opens with the kindly 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 woods. 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 he 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 Gepetto 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 two local swindlers, Volpe and Felinet who try to sell him to the puppet-maker Lorenzini. Although Lorenzini agrees to pay a great deal for Pinocchio, Geppetto declines.

Later, Pinocchio follows a group a schoolchildren and becomes fascinated by school and learning, to which he wants to go for, in which Gepetto allows. But a boy named Lampwick (Corey Carrier) involves him in a violent prank. The teacher punishes Pinocchio harshly, forcing him to leave the company of the real boys. Out of bitterness, he then causes a great deal of mischief in a bakery, in which the baker's wife (Dawn French) causes more damage than the puppet. Gepetto 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, Gepetto and Pinocchio stand before the judge, who rules that unless Gepetto 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. Gepetto 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 Gepetto 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 father 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 a valley of fun where they are encouraged to perform all sorts of cruel and naughty deeds. While riding on a roller coaster, Lampwick and two other boys are turned into donkeys by the enchanted water of a huge fountain they drank. They are then rounded up by Lorenzini, who runs the place after abandoning his career as a puppet-maker. He intends to sell the donkeys as work animals for money and success. Pinocchio, having grown only donkey ears, frees the donkeys from their pen. Chased by Lorenzini and his henchmen, Pinocchio attempts to warn the other boys of the cursed water and also to stop them from doing cruel and naughty deeds. No one believes him until Lampwick strikes out with his hooves and knocks Lorenzini into the fountain, and as Lorenzini gets out of the fountain, his face transforms into that of a sea monster, shocking the other boys. Having developed gills in his face, Lonrenzini becomes unable to breathe in land, and is forced to dive away into the sea. The boys, having learned of the valley's curse as well as their lessons, run from the valley together to get back to their homes, scaring much of Lorenzini's henchmen away, and leaving Pinocchio and the donkey Lampwick to journey back home 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 roaw a boat to find Gepetto. Unfortunately, the puppet gets swallowed by Lorenzini, who is now a huge monstrous whale.

Inside Lorenzini's stomach, Pinocchio is finally reunited with Gepetto. In order to escape, Pinocchio tells Gepetto that he hates him. The lie causes Pinocchio's nose to lengthen and push the whale's throat open wider. The nose then breaks from Pinocchio, but still holds the throat wider. Unable to breathe properly because of that, Lorenzini was forced to puke both Pinocchio and Gepetto out from his stomach before he finally dies and sinks into the bottom of the sea. Gepetto and Pinocchio make it back to shore, where Geppetto apologizes for giving Pinocchio away and tells him he loves him. Pinocchio begins to cry tears and turns into a real boy, proclaiming: "Miracles are made in the heart, Papa,". Pepe, knowing that Pinocchio has learned his lesson and has finally achieved what he needed to be, leaves Pinocchio temporarily to go on a much needed vacation, stating he will be with him forever. On the way home, Pinocchio runs into Volpe and Felinet again. Desperate for payback against them for swindling him, Pinocchio tricks them into drinking from the fountain of the valley where he and the other boys were turned into donkeys; as a result, the two swindlers are transformed into a real fox and a real cat, much to their discomfort. Pinocchio returns to live life as a real boy with his Papa, Leona and his best friend Lampwick, who changed back to normal along with the other cursed boys by becoming good and doing good deeds.

[edit] Development

Nearly ten years before the film was eventually made, Director Steve Barron and Jim Henson 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 Peter Locke sent Barron a script for a film based on the Carlo Collodi novel. Barron heavily rewrote the script. The project then finally got off the ground.

[edit] Reception

In her seminar "The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film," Rebecca West finds the film to be relatively faithful to the original novel, although she notes major differences such as the replacement of the Blue Fairy by the character of Leona.^[1]

[edit] Sequel

A straight-to-video sequel was released in 1999 called The New Adventures of Pinocchio. Landau returned as Gepetto, while Kier returned as Lorenzini's estranged wife. Gabriel Thomson played the title role. In this film, Gepetto and Pinocchio are both given a potion that transforms them into puppets. It was shot in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

Bacon, Matt (1997). No Strings Attached: The Inside Story of Jim Henson's Creature Shop. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-862008-9. 

[edit] External links

• The Adventures of Pinocchio at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Films directed by Steve Barron Electric Dreams (1984) · Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) · Coneheads (1993) · The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996) · Rat (2000) · Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) · Choking Man (2006)