Cinema Aficiona: Pinocchio (1940)
It's my comma, and I'll use it when I need it!
While some regard this film as one of the all time classics, upon it’s initial release, Pinocchio was a financial flop. True to form of many great stories, it was not appreciated within the generation that bore it. No one likes a mirror, and this film was reflecting a lot of strange and uncomfortable truths.
Even if I didn’t understand most of those truths growing up on these classic films, they were a blast to watch. Personally, I will forever credit this movie for reinforcing my parents warnings to me about underage smoking, drinking, and general misbehavior. It’s also the source of one of my favorite tongue-in-cheek principles of storytelling: Traumatize the kids… And then give them a beautiful soundtrack to listen to as a chaser.
“Fate is kind, she brings to those who love, the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing. Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through.” Poignant for a project that had continued the downward trend of the Disney Animation studios that nearly ended the company. However, film flops like Pinocchio and Fantasia were also the ones endured through their initial years of unprofitability to become the sleeper successes that continue to define what makes great animation.
The rewatch on this just gets better and better with the passing years, and I would encourage everyone here to set aside a bit of time to take this in with a friend or loved one, and enjoy the genuine shock of delight that so often accompanies unrepentant sincerity.
This Cinema Aficiona episode was recorded on February 26th, 2022 via the Akira the Don Discord
Cinema Aficiona: Pinocchio (1940)
Now that we've come full circle from Brad Bird's foray into Pixar, we'll journey back to the animated movies that began my proto Aficiona sessions known as "Bellinimation" nearly a decade ago. We're going back to the basics with the movies that built American culture as we know it today: The Disney Classics. The movies that were made when Walt Disney himself was still alive continue to stand apart from nearly everything else created in the animation medium. These are the watermarks against which all movies are subconsciously measured for any who have seen them before, and for those who have yet to watch them, they are either vehemently rejected, or instantly adored, and for the same reason: They are purveyors of undeniable truths of the human condition. This Saturday morning we will start with a film that Dr. Peterson has covered extensively (6 hours!!!) in his university lectures, and one that Akira the Don found inspiration in with a fantastic lofi set from early 2018.
Please enjoy this discussion on the first of the true animation classics: Walt Disney's Pinocchio from 1940.