Review: 'Pinocchio' brought tears to my eyes

Posted Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 4:06 PM Central
Last updated Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 4:07 PM Central

by John Couture

When I found out that I was going to be a father for the first time, I came up with a short list of films that I wanted to share with my children. Of course, being a huge movie buff, the list soon proliferated out of control, but the first film on that list was always Pinocchio.

It just so happened that Pinocchio was the first film that I ever saw in theaters, so I suppose you could say that it got the ball rolling on this life that I now enjoy. When I saw Pinocchio, I fell immediately in love with motion pictures and cartoons and I couldn't get enough.

So, naturally, I was eager to share that experience with my kids, but as technology took off, I was hesitant to throw in my old VHS copy and show them something that they would immediately dismiss as being of lesser quality. I thought about upgrading to the Platinum Edition DVD or the Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, but these were both in the proverbial Disney vault before either of my kids were born and I knew that if I waited a few years, I would get an even better opportunity to share this film with them.

I am so glad that I waited.

We sat down to watch Pinocchio last weekend and while my kids were familiar with the character from books and other cartoons, they had never seen the film in its entirety before. I was surprised to be honest, but they were enthralled with the film and enjoyed just as much as any of the newer computer-generated animated films of today.

I thought they would enjoy it and I'm excited that they were able to find it as much fun as I did when I was their age. What I didn't expect to find though were the tears that I had welling up in my eyes.

We take entertainment for granted these days in that good animated films will cater both to children and the adults that take them to see the movies. But, it seems that Walt Disney wasn't too shabby at creating entertainment that checks all of the boxes himself.

What I found is that Pinocchio changes once you become a father. As a child, I watched the film and naturally identified with the lead character struggling to become a real boy and to live his life to a certain moral code. Be a good boy. Don't lie. Don't become a jackass - literally.

This time through though, I found that I was identifying more with Geppetto and his insecurities and fears about gaining and then potentially losing a child. As a parent, there is no greater fear than to lose a child and I had never seen Pinocchio as a tale of a parent's struggle to save their child before and it hit me in a profound new way.

When the film was over, all I wanted to do was to hug my children and hold them close. Of course, I think I was suppose to reiterate the main tenets of the film and reinforce their good behavior, but I was more taken by this unexplored emotional side of the film that I had never seen before.

My kids tolerated my affection for about two minutes and then they were off to explore brand new worlds in their iPads or other electronic devices. And yet, for those 90 minutes we were able to share a moment that I will not soon forget. Life has a tendency to speed away from you and we are all guilty of lamenting that "time flies" and our kids are "growing up way too fast." This film was a gentle reminder that we need to take a timeout from our busy lives and enjoy the very fact that we can be thankful for the simple things, such as being real boys and girls.

The Signature Series Blu-ray contains all of the Classic bonus features of previous editions and several new features that were quite compelling. In particular, I think that the deep dive into the development and progression of Pleasure Island to be rather insightful. Also, we take for granted that today's world is one of easy carnal pleasure, but the evils that Pinocchio found on Pleasure Island back in 1940 were almost taboo by comparison.

In that way, I was even more impressed by Walt Disney's visionary leadership. He was pushing boundaries both in the creation of his films and within the audiences that saw his masterpieces. The fact that so many of his films have survived the test of time and continue to resonate with new audiences is a testament to his genius.

Pinocchio is a film that you have probably seen a dozen times, but if you don't yet own it, now is the perfect time to pick it up on Blu-ray. If you are expecting to start a family in the next 10 years, do yourself a favor and pick up this version of Pinocchio and share it with your kids when they are about three or so, you won't be sorry.