The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film)

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The Adventures of Pinocchio
VHS cover
Directed by	Steve Barron
Produced by	Heinz Bibo
Written by	Carlo Collodi (novel) Sherry Mills Steve Barron Tom Benedek Barry Berman
Starring	Jonathan Taylor Thomas Rob Schneider
Music by	David Goldsmith Lee Holdridge Rachel Portman Craig Taubman
Cinematography	Juan Ruiz Anchía
Editing by	Sean Barton
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	1996
Running time	96 min.
Country	UK USA France Germany Czech Republic
Language	Italian English
IMDb profile

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 1996 film directed by Steve Barron and starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Martin Landau, Geneviève Bujold, Udo Kier, Bebe Neuwirth, Rob Schneider, and Corey Carrier.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film opens with the kindly woodcarver, Geppetto, declaring his secret love for a woman named Leona and he carves their initials in a heart on an old pine tree in the woods. Later, lightening strikes the tree, causing a piece of wood to fall to the forest floor. Many years later, Geppetto returns to the forest and retrieves the piece of wood for his puppet-making business. Though he is admired and well-known in the town, he is apparently poor and lives alone with just his cat and his puppets for company. When he examines the piece of wood later, he discovers his heart carved into it and feels a strange affinity to it, deciding to carve a special puppet from it. Whilst he is carving, it shows unusual abilities; slowly moving its arms and legs or blowing sawdust, actions which Geppetto fails to notice. When he finishes his work, he names his new creation Pinocchio, from the pine wood he made him from and for his magnificent eyes.

Suddenly, the wooden boy comes to life and shocks the old puppet-maker. He denies it when Pinocchio calls him 'Papa', yet has fatherly concerns for him when he runs of by himself, climbing across the roofs of the town and attempting to fly like a pigeon. When Geppetto catches up with him, they meet Leona, with whom Geppetto is still secretly in love, and it is not long before Pinocchio has run off again. During his escapades, he runs into a pair of cons, Volpe and Felinet, who decide to inform their boss, a puppet master named Lorezini. Though Lorenzini agrees to pay a great deal for Pinnocchio, Geppetto declines, instead selling him two other puppets. Whilst they are conversing, however, Pinocchio sneaks out and follows the other boys to school. There he develops a fascination with real boys and how they have to learn at school. He wants to join them, but an incident with a wicked boy named Lampwick puts him on the bad side of the teacher. When Pinocchio lies to try and defend himself, his nose grows to an extroadinary size and offends the teacher to the point that he is expelled from the school. Geppetto searched anxiously for Pinocchio, who has found a cake shop on the way home and begins to eat everything he can lay his hands on. The shocked and angry bakers chase the boy around the shops causing a big mess and a broken window and when Geppetto arrives, he is arrested while the frightened Pinocchio runs away.

While Geppetto spends the night in a prison cell, Pinocchio returns home and meets 'the voice of truth' in the form of a wise and optimistic cricket named Pepe. Pepe promises to help Pinocchio to become a real boy, if he can promise to be good and follow his instincts in tough situations. At this moment, the Guards arrive and take Pinocchio away. The next day Gepetto and Pinocchio stand before the judge and they are sent to prison until Geppetto can pay his debt to the bakers. Lorenzini steps in and agrees to pay off his debt, on the condition that Pinocchio be handed over to his custody. Though Geppetto refuses at first to let the puppet go, he slowly realises that he can have a better life with the rich and successful Lorenzini than with an impoverished, disgraced puppet-maker. In a heart-breaking scene, Pinocchio confusedly asks why he has to leave him. "I want to be with you," he says. "You're my Papa" Geppetto snaps and claims that he cannot be his Papa because Pinnochio is made of wood and is not a real boy, so cannot have a Papa. Pinocchio reluctantly goes with Lorenzini and they leave the courtroon, the puppet calling "I love you, Papa,".

Pinocchio enjoys the theatre and believes that Lorenzini loves him as much as his Papa did, but Pepe tells him he is just using him for money and success. Pinocchio realises this when he sees Lorenzini is willing to burn his own puppets, including Geppetto's creations, in front of an audience. Turning on Lorenzini, Pinocchio seizes Geppetto's puppets and a fight ensues that results in the theatre burning down. Geppetto later finds his puppets abandoned in the alley outside, and wonders where Pinocchio is. The wooden puppet runs from the authority and jumps into the river, floating all night until he reaches the forest where he came from. Volpe and Felinet catch up with him at a church, where they learn that Pinocchio has a great deal of gold, given to him by Lorenzini. They persuade him to bury it to make it increase, allowing him to buy a miracle that will turn him into a real boy. Whilst Pinocchio waits alone, Pepe arrives and questions him, making him see his error and scolding him for ignoring his instincts. "Miracles don't grow on trees," he says. "Miracles are made in the heart!" Pinocchio returns to where he buried the gold, only to discover that the duo has robbed him. Meanwhile, Geppetto and Leona have begun searching the forest for Pinocchio.

Waiting by the side of the road, Pinocchio is approached by a travelling cart that takes boys to a place of fun, for 'real boys'. He agrees to come and is reunited with the boys he met at school, includng Lampwick. They do not know that the place is run by the notorious Lorenzini. Geppetto and Leona arrive at the shore where they discover Pinocchio's hat and, believing that he is gone out to sea, Geppetto leaves in a boat. At last, he declares his love for her, and she angrily cries that she is done waiting, but nonetheless stays on the beach. The valley of fun turns out to be a place for boys, with no rules and unbridled fun involving shotguns and shooting rockets of insects into the air. The main attraction is a great rollercoaster that runs beneath a large fountain. When Pinocchio and Lampwick go on the ride with the other boys, they swallow the water from the spouting fountain and begin to act strangely. Pinocchio watches in horror as the boys transform into donkeys, and even he begins to suffer from the effects as his ears elongate. The donkeys are emptied into a pen by Lorenzini and his men, who, on seeing Pinocchio did not transform, chase him through the pens as he releases the donkeys and runs to warn the others. No one believes him until Lorenzini himself arrives and the donkey Lampwick kicks him into the enchanted water, turning him into a sea monster. The boys run from the valley together and Pinocchio is left alone in the woods with donkey Lampwick.

Leona finds him and tells him that Geppetto went out to sea to look for him, so Pinocchio follows. After a while, he is suddenly attacked by Lorenzini turned into the giant sea monster, and is swallowed. Inside, Pinocchio is finally reunited with his Papa and the two work to get out, climbing out through the nose. Geppetto cannot fit out and Pinocchio tells multiple lies about how he hates his Papa so that his grown nose will push back the wall. They escape from the enraged sea creature and arrive back at the shore. There, Geppetto apologises for giving Pinocchio away and tells him he loves him. Pinocchio begins to cry tears and slowly turns into a real boy. "Miracles are made in the heart, Papa,". Pepe leaves Pinocchio temporarily to go on a much needed vacation and they all return home. On the way, Pinocchio runs into Volpe and Felinet, who do not recognise him, and he tells them about the valley that turned his friends into donkeys, tricking them by saying that drinking the water will give them gold. Later they are seen in the form of a fox and a cat.

Pinocchio returns to live life as a real boy with his Papa, Leona and his best friend Lampwick, who changed back by becoming good. No one can dispute that life is much better than before.