Review of Pinocchio (1940) by Mike M — 03 Feb 2011

One of the most fascinating (and flawed) animations of the classic Disney era... The whole is riddled with such dire (in the Monstro sequence, indeed, *Biblical*) prophecies of things to come - even the dirty, chaotic Pleasure Island looks like a very Walt-ish warning against letting your theme parks get out of hand - it's hardly a surprise it rarely seems magical or even much in the way of fun.

Petrified by the dangers that follow from curiosity and sticking one's nose in (the animators are even obliged to add Victorian-like leaves and flowers to make Pinocchio's swelling wood appear less phallic), it has to rate as a failure on some level, because all its artistry goes toward control of the most highly prescribed form: it sees youngsters as entities whose strings need to be clipped, their natural enthusiasms as something to be curbed.