Pinocchio 9/10

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G, 88m, 1940

With the Voices Talents of Dickie Jones (Pinocchio), Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket), Christian Rub (Geppetto), Walter Catlett (Honest John Foulfellow), Charles Judels (Stomboli and the Coachman), Frankie Darro (Lampwick) and Evelyn Venable (The Blue Fairy). Directed by Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts and Ben Sharpsteen. Produced by Walt Disney. Screenplay by Ted Sears, Otto Englander, Webb Smith, William Cottrell, Joseph Sabo, Erdman Penner, Aurelius Battaglia and Bill Peet. Music by Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith. Based on the novel of the same name by Carlo Collodi.

            This is the Disney Studio’s second animated feature film after Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and the confidence that the filmmakers had while making this film really shines.  By watching this film, one can tell that the filmmakers were attempting to surpass their previous work with this picture, and I believe they succeeded in this endeavor.

            The story is based on the Italian novel of the same name by Carlo Collodi. The film follows Pinocchio (Dickie Jones), a wooden puppet, who is brought to life by the Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) in order to fulfill Geppetto’s (Christian Rub) wish that Pinocchio could become a real boy. Being only a day old, Pinocchio is an easy mark for characters such as Honest John (Walter Catlett) and Stromboli (Charles Judels), who wish to cash in on the novelty of a wooden puppet who can move without the aid of strings. Pinocchio is assisted in life by Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards), who is appointed Pinocchio’s conscience by the Blue Fairy.

            The characters of this film are an absolute delight. The character of Pinocchio is portrayed as this kind-hearted naïve kid, and this really works to the film’s advantage because it makes the character of Pinocchio more realistic. If an inanimate object suddenly became sentient, that character would most likely be rather gullible. The character of Jiminy Cricket also adds a layer of comic relief by serving as a contemporary American wise cracking character. Many animated films, and many live action films for that matter, make the mistake of having a comic relief character be a one note character, whose sole purpose in the film is to be funny and provide nothing to the plot. Often times, this translates out to a sloppy, imbecilic, rude unlikeable character.  In the case of Jiminy Cricket, his contemporary observations add a sense of personality to the character.  

            While the animation in Snow White is by no means bad, the animation of Pinocchio is far superior. The backgrounds and character designs of Pinocchio are sharper and more defined than they were in Snow White. As was the case in Snow White, great detail is added to enhance the overall quality of the animation. In Geppetto’s workshop, the wood carved items look positively stunning. Instead of having generic clocks and music boxes, each clock is its own individual item with its own theme.

Unlike a lot of animated films, Pinocchio is not afraid to take risks. The film cleverly shows that the world isn’t always a bright and cheerful place. There are people out there who are willing to deceive and take advantage of naïve, good-natured people and this film knows it. This film also does something that most animated films would never dream of trying and that’s depicting minors drinking alchol and smoking tobacco. Granted the film is quick to show this in a negative light, with the message that this is what bad children do and this is what happens to them (they turn into donkeys). In most films, the villain of the film is shown getting his or her comeuppance at the end of the film. Pinocchio does not do this. None of the villains receive any kind of punishment for their dastardly deeds. The film is not afraid to show the darker side of humanity, and in real life evil people do not always get punished. Some children might find some scenes in this movie such as the donkey transformation sequence and scenes involving Monstro the whale, to be too scary for them. However, I believe that deep down most children love to get scared from time to time. In my opinion the jackass transformation scene is more terrifying than most kills found in horror films such as The Nightmare on Elm Street films and the Friday the 13th franchise. I say this because so many horror films feature a character getting axed off (some quite literally) that it’s become cliched. Honestly, how many films do you know of that has children forcibly turned into beats of burden that get sold to places like salt mines and circuses? If that’s not terrifying enough the boys never change back into humans, they’re stuck as donkeys for the rest of their lives. Another terrifying thought is the villains are never stopped, so who knows how many more hapless boys they doomed to a life of servitude.

When a new and inexperienced company releases a successful first product, often times the company will try to make the second product even better. This frequently results in the company releasing a hollow, bloated mess that is a disappointment critically and financially. This is known as the second-system syndrome. Other times, the company will try to recreate their first product and the end result is something that feels hollow and gives off a feeling that the product lacks any real human touch. This happens because the creators of the product do not possess a clear understanding of what made their product special in the first place. Pinocchio does not suffer from these problems at all. The filmmakers used what they learned from Snow White and applied those lessons to create something that can be enjoyed and treasured for generations to come.

Barefoot Gen 9/10

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TV-PG, 83m, 1983

With the Voices Talents of Catherine Battistone (Gen Nakaoka), Barbara Goodson (Ryuta Hondo), Kirk Thornton (Daikichi Nakaoka), Iona Morris (Kimie Nakaoka), Brianne Siddall (Shinjee Nakaoka), Wendee Lee (Eiko Nakaoka), Michael McConnohie (Hidezo), Ardwright Chamberlain (Mr. Pak), Dan Worren (Seji Yoshida) and Joyce Kurtz (Hana). Directed by Mori Masaki. Produced by Yasuteru Iwase, Keiji Nakazawa and Takanori Yoshimoto. Screenplay by Keiji Nakazawa. Music by Kentaro Haneda. Based on Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa.

            Barefoot Gen is based on a manga series (Japanese comic books) of the same name by Keiji Nakazawa. He based the story on his experiences as a Hiroshima survivor. This makes the story feel much more personal and real. The film opens in war-torn Japan, where the residents of Hiroshima are feeling the devastating effects of prolonged war. Like many families, the Nakaoka family are forced to live on meager rations due to Japan having a massive food shortage. This proves especially hard on Gen’s mother, Kimie (Iona Morris), who is heavily pregnant and is suffering from malnutrition. The residents of Hiroshima are well aware of the bombing raids that are devastating other Japanese cities, but for some reason Hiroshima has not been bombed yet. This leads Daikichi, Gen’s father (Kirk Thornton), to wonder if they’re planning something special for Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945 Gen heads off to school with his friend, while is family is inside the house. At 8:15 AM the bomb goes off killing thousands of people. Gen is knocked unconscious and wakes to find his friend is dead. Gen runs back to his house and sees his mother desperately trying to raise a beam that has Daikichi, Shinji (Brianna Siddall) and Eiko (Wendee Lee) pinned under the burning house. Gen tries in vain to help his mother free the rest of the family. This leads to a very emotional scene where Daikichi tells Gen to take his mother and run to safety while Shinji and Eiko scream in pain. Gen drags his mother to safety where she gives birth to a baby girl named Tomoko. A few days later Gen and his mother are sifting through their destroyed house to recover the remains of the rest of their family, when they learn that Japan has just surrendered, and the war is now over (the date is August 15 to those who are keeping track). While eating a meager meal later that night, a small boy named Ryuta Hondo (Barbara Goodson) tries to steal some food. Ryuta looks exactly like Shinji, and because Ryuta no longer has a family, Gen and his mother invite Ryuta to live with them. The rest of the movie is about the small family trying to survive in this new hostile world.

            Needless to say, this movie is not meant for young children. This film has some very disturbing imagery. Right after the bomb goes off, we see a terrified little child holding a balloon, disintegrate in a horrific way (by this I mean her clothes and skin are literally blasted off while her eyes melt from their sockets). This is followed by a scene where a dog tries in vain to escape the blast. The dog doesn’t go quietly either, it whimpers in pain as it melts away. I actually find this scene to be important because when referencing the victims of the atomic bombs, animals are often omitted when it comes to Hiroshima and this scene showed that the blast killed indiscriminately. There’s also a scene involving what I call tasteful partial nudity. This scene involves a woman who has just lost her own baby offering Tomoko (Gen’s baby sister) her breasts. The reason why Kimie (Gen’s mother) is unable to feed her baby is because Kimie is so malnourished, she is unable to produce enough milk. I found this scene to be particularly powerful because it shows that even in the shadow of tragedy, the best of humanity is still able to shine through.

            This film makes excellent use of sound. Right after the bomb is dropped the film goes absolutely silent while the infamous flash is reflected against the characters we have come to know. There’s a song played at the end of the film called “Doko kare Kite Doko e Iku no Ka” by Harry, and the song plays as a paper boat lantern sails down river as Gen’s family silently prays. I found this to be the perfect ending for the film because it symbolizes that even though the family has lost almost everything, they still have hope for the future.

            Just as Saving Private Ryan is the perfect film to teach about D-Day, this film is the perfect tool for teaching about the atomic bombs and their aftermath. The film takes time to depict and talk about the horrors that the bombs brought. This is shown on physical and psychological levels. In one scene, Gen and Ryuta get a job from a man to take care his brother who has been heavily burned by the blast. At first the guy acts like a jerk, while the boys treat him with kindness. Eventually they both get so fed up with the guy that Gen slaps him. The guy calls them back and says its ok if they want to slap him some more. It’s then revealed that the guy has been treated as a corpse for so long that he’s thankful for any kind of human touch even a slap. This scene is a real testament to how great this film is and demonstrating that the effects of the bomb weren’t always physical.

            This film along with Grave of the Fireflies can best be described as the greatest films I never want to see again. While this film has good animation, great characters and a very touching story, its rather hard to sit through. With other sad films like Bambi, Up and Wolf Children, the audience doesn’t have a truly hard time sitting through the film because they know two things. The first is they know that the characters in this film are bound to get a happy ending, and the second is the film is not real. With Barefoot Gen, the audience really can’t think that. The film is based on an actual historical event where thousands of people, including young children, perished. This makes the film even more touching because it depicts what an often forgotten about people had to endure.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 9/10

Nick Sheedy1 Comment

G, 83m, 1937

With the Voices Talents of Adriana Caselotti (Snow White), Lucille La Verne (Queen Grimhelde/Witch), Harry Stockwell (The Prince), Roy Atwell (Doc), Pinto Colvig (Grumpy and Sleepy), Otis Harlan (Happy), Scotty Mattraw (Bashful), Billy Gilbert (Sneezy), Stuart Buchanan (The Huntsman) and Moroni Olsen (The Magic Mirror). Directed by William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce and Ben Sharpsteen. Produced by Walt Disney. Screenplay by Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Blank and Webb Smith. Music by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith. Based on the fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is often billed as the first full-length animated feature film; this is not true. The first full-length animated film is a 1917 Argentinian film called El Apostol (The Apostle). The film was unfortunately destroyed when producer Ferderico Valle’s film studio burned down. The oldest surviving full-length animated film is a 1926 German film called Die Abenteur des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was however, the first cel animated feature film, as well as the first animated feature film to be produced in the United States.

The story is a lighter version of the fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm. Snow White (Adriana Caselotti) is forced to work as a scullery maid due to her stepmother’s jealousy for Snow White’s beauty. After consulting her Magic Mirror (Moroni Olsen) , Queen Grimhelde (Lucille La Verne) discovers that Snow White is now the fairest in the land, so she sends her huntsman (Stuart Buchanan) to kill Snow White. Upon learning about this nefarious plot, Snow White flees into the forest. In the forest, she comes across some woodland critters who guide her to a little cottage that is inhabited by seven dwarfs.  The dwarfs allow Snow White to stay after coming home to a cleaned house and receiving a nice dinner. Meanwhile, Queen Grimhelde, having discovered that Snow White is alive, transforms herself into an old hag and sets out with a poisoned apple that will put Snow White in a deep sleep that can only be broken by “true love’s first kiss”.

Walt Disney often used his cartoon short series The Silly Symphonies to experiment with animation techniques. These experiments lead to the success of the look of Snow White. The backgrounds are European inspired, and they look phenomenal. I particularly enjoyed the little touches the background artists added. In the dwarfs’ cottage, objects such as chairs, steps and the faucet are designed to resemble either animals or humans. The look of this film was enhanced with the use of the Multiplane Camera. The Multiplane Camera is a device that is used to give animation a sense of depth. It accomplishes this by taking multiple pieces of artwork and by moving them ever so slightly, giving the audience is given an illusion of depth.

The characters in this film are just a joy to watch. Instead of focusing solely on Snow White, the filmmakers gave each of the characters their own time to shine. Disney knew that for this film to work he had to give each of the dwarfs their own personal personality. Disney also wisely avoided having the dwarfs’ actions reflect solely as their namesake describes. For example, Happy (Otis Harlan) isn’t happy all the time, in one scene he’s shown openly weeping and Grumpy (Pinto Colvig) isn’t always in a foul mood, in several scenes he’s shown smiling. One character I did have a problem with was the Prince (Harry Stockwell). This is because he had no real purpose in the film except to serve as a love interest for Snow White. This makes the character come across as a shoehorned plot device to further the story.

As with many Disney films, the soundtrack to this film is stellar. Each song is used for a purpose in this film. Many animated films make the mistake of having a song, often a pop song just for the sake of having a big-name singer to attached to the movie. I’m a firm believer in the notion that in a musical, each song must advance the story and Snow White accomplishes that goal. My personal favorite songs are “Heigh-Ho”, “Someday My Prince Will Come” and “Whistle While You Work”.

During the production of the film, many people laughed at Walt Disney, and the film was even dubbed “Disney’s Folly”, but following the release of the film in 1937, the film quickly became a smash hit and the film was immediately recognized as historically important, which doesn’t often happen to films immediately after their release. As a princess movie Snow White might not be as appealing to boys as it is to girls. Because there’s a social stigma that states that this type of movie is for girls and not for boys, I have always found this film to be an absolute delight. As time goes by, many films such as Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Sing and Rio will become dated and will fade into the oblivion of time, but with Snow White, the film still holds up over 80 years after its initial release in 1937; and I believe that this film will continue to charm audiences young and old well into the future.