Pinocchio () is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi. Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a village near Lucca, he was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. He lies often.
Pinocchio is a cultural icon. As one of the most reimagined characters in children's literature, his story has been adapted into other media, notably the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio.
Fictional character biography
Pinocchio's characterization varies across interpretations, but some aspects of his character are consistent across all adaptations. He is consistently shown to be a creation as a puppet by Geppetto, and the size of his nose changing due to his lies or stress.
Pinocchio is known for having a short nose that becomes longer when he is under stress (chapter 3), especially while lying. In the original tale, Collodi describes him as a "rascal," "imp," "scapegrace," "disgrace," "ragamuffin," and "confirmed rogue," with even his father, carpenter Geppetto, referring to him as a "wretched boy." Upon being born, Pinocchio immediately laughs derisively in his creator's face, whereupon he steals the old man's wig.
Pinocchio's bad behavior, rather than being charming or endearing, is meant to serve as a warning. Collodi originally intended the story, which was first published in 1881, to be a tragedy. It concluded with the puppet’s execution. Pinocchio’s enemies, the Fox and the Cat, bind his arms, pass a noose around his throat, and hang him from the branch of an oak tree.
a tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily, and it beat the poor puppet from side to side, making him swing violently, like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding. And the swinging gave him atrocious spasms...His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched his legs, gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible.
Clothing and character
Pinocchio is a wooden marionette (a puppet that is manipulated with wires) and not a hand puppet (directly controlled from inside by the puppeteer's hand). But the piece of wood from which he is derived is animated, and so Pinocchio moves independently. Basically good, he often gets carried away by bad company and is prone to lying. His nose will become longer and longer once he starts lying to others. Because of these characteristics he often finds himself in trouble, from which, however, he always manages to get out. Pinocchio undergoes transformations during the novel: he promises The Fairy with Turquoise Hair to become a real boy, flees with Candlewick to the Land of Toys, becomes a donkey, joins a circus, and becomes a puppet again. In the last chapter, out of the mouth of The Terrible Dogfish with Geppetto, finally stops being a puppet and becomes a real boy (thanks to the intervention of the Fairy in a dream).
In the novel, Pinocchio is often depicted with a pointy hat, a jacket and a pair of colored, knee-length pants. In the Disney version, the appearance is very different, and the character is dressed in Tyrolean style, with Lederhosen and a hat with a feather.
The nose
Pinocchio's nose is his best-known characteristic. It grows in length when he tells a lie: this appears in chapter XVI. It should be noted how Collodi himself, in Note gaie claims how "to hide the truth of a speculum animae (mirror of the soul) face [ ... ] is added to the true nose another papier-mache nose". There is an inconsistency, however, because his nose grows when it is first carved by Geppetto, without Pinocchio ever lying.
The nose only appears a couple of times in the story, but it reveals the Blue Fairy's power over Pinocchio when he acts disobediently. After struggling and weeping over his deformed nose, the Blue Fairy summons woodpeckers to peck it back to normal.
Literary analysis
Some literary analysts have described Pinocchio as an epic hero. Like many Western literary heroes, such as Odysseus, Pinocchio descends into hell; he also experiences rebirth through metamorphosis, a common motif in fantasy literature.
Throughout the work, Collodi chastises Pinocchio for his lack of moral fiber and his persistent rejection of responsibility and desire for fun. Since Collodi frequently wrote in support of Italian Unification and the new state that was to arise from it, the book may be seen as having been influential in nation-building. Before writing Pinocchio, Collodi had written a series of pedagogic story books for use in the new nation's elementary schools. The series was called Il viaggio per l'Italia di Giannettino ("Little Johnny's voyage through Italy").
The structure of the story of Pinocchio follows that of the folk-tales of peasants who venture out into the world but are naively unprepared for what they find, and get into ridiculous situations. At the time of the writing of the book, this was a serious problem, arising partly from the industrialization of Italy, which led to a growing need for reliable labour in the cities; the problem was exacerbated by similar, more or less simultaneous, demands for labour in the industrialization of other countries. One major effect was the emigration of much of the Italian peasantry to cities and to foreign countries such as the United States.
The main imperatives demanded of Pinocchio are to work, be good, and study. And in the end Pinocchio's willingness to provide for his father and devote himself to these things transforms him into a real boy with modern comforts.
Media portrayals
Earliest adaptations
- Pinocchio was translated into English in 1904 by Walter S. Cramp.
- Pinocchio first appeared in a cinematic adaptation in Pinocchio (1911), an Italian live-action silent film, directed by Giulio Antamoro. The character is performed by French-Italian comedian Ferdinand Guillaume.
- The children's novel The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino (1936) is a free retelling of the story of Pinocchio by Russian writer Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Some of the adventures are derived from Collodi, but many are either omitted or added. Pinocchio (Buratino) does not reform himself nor becomes a real human. For Tolstoy, Pinocchio as a puppet is a positive model of creative and non-conformist behavior.
- A 1936 adaptation The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio) was planned in Italy by Raoul Verdini and Umberto Spano, but it was never entirely completed and is now considered lost. Only the original script and a couple of still frames are all that survived of the film.
- The Golden Key (Zolotoy Klyuchik) is a 1939 Russian movie combining live action and stop-motion animation, directed by Aleksandr Ptushko. The story is based on the novel The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino (1936) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Pinocchio (Buratino) is a puppet, voiced by actress Olga Shaganova-Obraztsova.
Disney's version
When The Walt Disney Company was developing the story for their film version of Pinocchio (1940) they intended to keep the obnoxious aspects of the original character, but Walt Disney himself felt that this made the character too unlikable, so alterations were made to incorporate traits of mischief and innocence to make Pinocchio more likable. Pinocchio was voiced by Dickie Jones. Today, the film is considered one of the finest Disney features ever made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time, with a rare 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes. In the video game adaptation of the film, Pinocchio lives out (mostly) the same role as the film, traveling through the world filled with temptations and battling various forces. This incarnation later appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit voiced by Peter Westy, Disney's House of Mouse voiced by Michael Welch, and Kingdom Hearts voiced by Seth Adkins. Elijah Wood portrayed the real-boy version of Pinocchio in the live-action segments for the updated Jiminy Cricket educational serials "I'm No Fool" and "You" in addition to the new shorts of "I'm No Fool" in the early 1990s.
Pinocchio also makes cameo appearances in Aladdin, Teacher's Pet, Mickey Mouse and Tangled.
In the video game Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Pinocchio is featured as one of the many iconic Disney characters kidnapped by the evil witch Mizrabel in her plot to dominate their world; he is imprisoned alongside Genie in the Cave of Wonders until eventually being rescued by Mickey Mouse.
Later 20th-century adaptations
- The first child actor to portray Pinocchio was Alessandro Tommei in the 1947 Italian film The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio), directed by Gianetto Guardone.
- Italian comedian Totò portrayed Pinocchio in the 1952 film Toto in Color (Totò a colori).
- Actor Mel Blanc voiced Pinocchio in a 1953 radio adaptation of the story. This is the second adaptation of Pinocchio with Mel Blanc involved, as Blanc voiced Gideon the Cat in the 1940 Disney film until all of his lines were deleted, save for three hiccups.
- Musician and comedian Spike Jones portrayed Pinocchio in the first television adaptation, a satirical version aired 24 April 1954 as an episode of The Spike Jones Show.
- Pinocchio was portrayed by thirteen-year-old Andrew Irvine as 'Nokie' in the 1955 ITV children's series Round at the Redways.
- Mickey Rooney was Pinocchio in the television musical adaptation Pinocchio (1957), directed by Paul Bogart, aired 13 October 1957.
- In the 1959 Italian television series The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio), directed by Enrico D'Alessandro and Cesare Emilio Gaslini, Pinocchio is portrayed by Carlo Chamby.
- The Adventures of Buratino (Priklyucheniya Buratino) is a 1959 Soviet animated feature film directed by Dmitriy Babichenko and Ivan Ivanov-Vano. The story is based on the novel The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino (1936) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Pinocchio (Buratino) is voiced by actress Nina Gulyaeva and in the 1998 shortened English-dubbed version (Pinocchio and the Golden Key), by child actor Joseph Mazzello.
- The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1960â€"61) is an American animated television series. Pinocchio is voiced by actress Joan Fowler.
- In Pinocchio (1965), the character is portrayed by actor John Joy.
- In the Belgian-American animation Pinocchio in Outer Space (1965), the character is voiced by actor Peter Lazer.
- Pinocchio (Turlis Abenteuer) (1967) is an East German film, directed by Walter Beck. Pinocchio (Turli) is a puppet, voiced by actress Gina Presgott. In the final scene, as a boy, he is portrayed by Uwe Thielisch.
- De avonturen van Pinokkio (1968â€"69) is a Dutch TV miniseries. Pinocchio is portrayed by actress Wieteke van Dort.
- Pinocchio (1968) is an American musical TV film, directed by Sid Smith. It was aired 8 December 1968 in the series Hallmark Hall of Fame. Pinocchio is portrayed by actor Peter Noone.
- Tatsunoko Productions created a 52 episodes anime series entitled Pinocchio: The Series, first aired in 1972. This series has a distinctly darker, more sadistic theme, and portrays the main character Pinocchio (Mokku) as suffering from constant physical and psychological abuse and freak accidents. Pinocchio was voiced by actress Yuko Maruyama and in the 1992 English-dubbed version by actor Thor Bishopric.
- Pinocchio (Un burattino di nome Pinocchio) (1972) is an Italian animated film, directed by Giuliano Cenci. Pinocchio is voiced by actress Roberta Paladini with Pamelyn Ferdin doing his English-voice dub.
- The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le avventure di Pinocchio) (1972) is an Italian television miniseries, directed by Luigi Comencini. Pinocchio was portrayed by child actor Andrea Balestri.
- Pinocchio and His Magic Show is a 1976 American movie. Pinocchio is a puppet, voiced by actress Ellen Prince.
- The Adventures of Buratino (Priklyucheniya Buratino) is a 1975 Soviet children's musical film directed by Leonid Nechayev. The story is based on the novel The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino (1936) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Pinocchio (Buratino) is portrayed by child actor Dmitri Iosifov.
- Another anime series starring Pinocchio, entitled Piccolino no BÅken, was produced by Nippon Animation in 1976.
- Pinocchio is a 1976 American television musical film, directed by Ron Field and Sid Smith, aired 27 March 1976. Pinocchio is portrayed by actress Sandy Duncan.
- In 1976, Pinocchio appeared in a News Flash segment on Sesame Street, performed by Frank Oz.
- Pinocchio is a 1978 American television miniseries in 4 episodes, directed by Barry Letts. Pinocchio is a puppet voiced by actress Rosemary Miller. In the final scene he is portrayed by child actor Joshua White.
- In 1980, Pinocchio appeared in the "Señor Wences" episode of The Muppet Show, performed by Steve Whitmire. His puppet was built by Bob Payne.
- In the 1980 animation Pinocchio's Christmas, directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., Pinocchio is voiced by child actor Todd Porter.
- Pinocchio appeared in the French-Dutch TV musical film Abbacadabra (1983), directed by Rien vam Wijk. He was portrayed by actor Nico Haak.
- Pinocchio (1984) is an episode of the American television series Faire Tale Theatre, directed by Peter Medak. Pinocchio is portrayed by actor Paul Reubens.
- Pinocho is a 1986 Argentinian movie, directed by Alejandro Malowichi. Pinocchio is portrayed by actress Soledad Silveyra.
- Pinocchio appeared in Filmation's 1987 epic animated film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night voiced by Scott Grimes.
- In the 1988 animation The Adventures of Pinocchio, directed by Ippei Kuri and Jim Terry, Pinocchio is voiced by actress Danielle Romeo.
- Pinocchio appeared in the 1993 direct-to-video adaptation by GoodTimes Entertainment, voiced by Jeannie Elias.
- He appeared in the horror film Pinocchio's Revenge (1996) played by Verne Troyer and voiced by Dick Beals. He appears as a killer puppet.
- He was portrayed by Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the film The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996). Thomas also voiced the title character's puppet form. In the 1999 sequel The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Pinocchio was played by Gabriel Thomson (who also voiced his puppet form).
- Pinocchio was featured in a 1997 episode of the animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, voiced by actor Will Smith.
- He was portrayed by actor Carmelo Bene in the Italian TV movie Pinocchio ovvero lo spettacolo della provvidenza (1999).
21st-century adaptations
- Child actor Seth Adkins portrayed Pinocchio in the television musical film Geppetto (2000) and as a guest star, in an episode of The Drew Carey Show, aired 1 March 2000. He also voiced the character in the video-game Kingdom Hearts (2002).
- Pinocchio appeared as a supporting character in the animated films Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010), voiced by Cody Cameron. He was also featured in other animated shorts and videos of the same series: Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party (2001), Shrek 4-d (2003), Far Far Away Idol (2004), Shrek the Halls (2007), Scared Shrekless (2010), Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular (2010), and Thriller Night (2013).
- Actor Roberto Benigni portrayed Pinocchio in the 2002 Italian movie Pinocchio film, while the English dub voice was provided by Breckin Meyer.
- Pinocchio appeared as a villain in two episodes of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2004 & 2006), voiced by Scott Menville. He desires to become a real boy but by eating a real boy's flesh.
- Pinocchio 3000 is a 2004 Canadian-French-Spanish computer-animated film, directed by Daniel Robichaud. Pinoccho, a robot that was built by Geppetto, is voiced by Canadian actress Sonja Ball (English), and dubbed in several other languages, including Maxime Baudouin (French), Jacopo Bonanni (Italian), and Fábio Lucindo (Portuguese).
- The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 2007 opera in two acts by English composer Jonathan Dove with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton. The original production opened at the Grand Theatre, Leeds on December 21, 2007 with mezzo-soprano Victoria Simmonds as Pinocchio.
- Child actor Robbie Kay was Pinocchio in the two-episode TV film Pinocchio (2008), directed by Alberto Sironi.
- Actor John Tartaglia portrayed Pinocchio in the original Broadway cast of Shrek the Musical (2008) as well as in the 2013 filmed version.
- The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 2009 opera by Israeli composer Jonathan Dove, "for 3 actors, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano".
- Pinocchio appeared in 2010 in the animated television series Simsala Grimm in an episode of the same name.
- Pinocchio is a recurring character in the television series Once Upon a Time (2011â€"16). He appears in Storybrooke in the form of a mysterious man named August Booth (played by Eion Bailey). In the Enchanted Forest, his younger self is played by Jakob Davies, but he was released into our world before the curse by Geppetto; Geppetto had been charged with making a magic cabinet to allow Snow White and series protagonist Emma Swan to escape the curse, but Geppetto arranged for Pinocchio to enter the cabinet instead as he feared that his son would cease to exist if the curse was cast as there would have been no way for him to be born without magic. August begins to return to his wooden state towards the end of the first season due to his selfishness, but following his near death by Tamara, the Blue Fairy restored Pinocchio to his child self for his compassion and courage and he resumes living with Geppetto. In the fourth season, he was restored to his adult state by Rumplestiltskin so that he could torture him for information about the Author. In the sixth season, it was revealed that August was the one who inspired Emma to take on the surname Swan after he shared with her the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling when they were kids.
- In the 2012 Italian animated adaptation (Pinocchio), directed by Enzo D'Alò, Pinocchio is voiced by child actors Gabriele Caprio (Italian original version) and Robert Naylor (English dub voice).
- Pinocchio was the subject of the 2015 satirical novel Splintered: A Political Fairy Tale by Thomas London.
- In 2016, Robert Downey Jr. signed on to play both Pinocchio and Geppetto in an updated version directed by Ben Stiller set to release early 2018. He will be joined on screen with Adam Driver as Jimmeny Cricket and Amy Adams as the Blue Fairy.
- Actor Sigurður Þór Ã"skarsson portrayed Pinocchio in an episode (New Kid in Town) of the TV series LazyTown, aired 5 October 2014.
- Part 6 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure features an evil version of Pinocchio, brought to life by Bohemian Rhapsody.
- Musical "Pinocchio - Superstar" produced by Norberto Bertassi and performed by young talents association Teatro. Premiered on 20 July 2016 in Mödling, Austria.
- Pinocchio, a 2014â€"2015 South Korean television series starring Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye.
- Rooster Teeth's web series RWBY features a character named Penny Polendina, who alludes to Pinocchio.
Popular culture
- The story is set in a villa in Collodi, where Carlo Collodi had spent his youth, in 1826. This villa is now named Villa Pinocchio.
- In the paintings series "La morte di Pinocchio", Walther Jervolino, an Italian painter and engraver, shows Pinocchio being executed with arrows or decapitated, thus presenting an alternative story ending.
- 12927 Pinocchio, a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 30, 1999 by M. Tombelli and L. Tesi at San Marcello Pistoiese, was named after Pinocchio.
- In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the story of Pinocchio is referenced to symbolize the cybernetic villain Ultron becoming free of his masters (the Avengers) orders'. A dark version of the Disney Pinocchio song "I've Got No Strings" is also quoted by him, and used in promotional material for the film.
- In A.I. Artificial Intelligence, the story of Pinocchio is woven throughout the story as a robot, an artificial boy, struggles to become real through a search for the Blue Fairy.
See also
- Pinocchio paradox
References
External links
- Full text of Le Avventure di Pinocchio in the original Italian
- Full text in English
