Carlo Collodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio" Synopsis and Thoughts - Is the original "Pinocchio" even crueler than imagined? Thoughts on the brilliant alterations made to the Disney film.
Now, I would like to introduce "The Adventures of Pinocchio" published by Italian writer Carlo Collodi in 1883. I read the translation by Rei Ooka published by Kadokawa Shoten in 2003.
It was the Disney movie "Pinocchio" that inspired me to introduce this book. Recently, I have been reading books related to Disney, which led me to watch the movie "Pinocchio" for the first time in almost 20 years.
Watching the film again, I was surprised to find that "Pinocchio" was extremely educational. The transformation of Pinocchio from an amusement park ruffian to a donkey would have terrified children today as it did in the past.
And the numerous endearing tweaks are unforgettable.
First, let's talk about Old Zeppetto.
I can't help but laugh at the devilish spartan way in which Pinocchio was sent off to school the day after his birth. And when Pinocchio managed to return home from the amusement park, he found his grandfather Geppetto out at sea. Old Zeppetto's innocent flirtation is the most exciting thing ever.
And I also love John and Gideon, but why do these two (two?) animals fit into the human world so naturally? Why do these two (two?) animals blend into the human world so naturally? When you watch the movie, you accept their existence quite naturally, but when you think about it, it is a mystery, isn't it? Ah, but isn't Jiminy Cricket talking too? But he is only the conscience of Pinocchio. Maybe he is not recognized in the human world. When you think about it, John and Gideon's existence is still a mystery. However, they are so attractive that even these doubts are blown away. You can't help but chuckle at their interactions. I especially love the scene where they examine Pinocchio and make him sick. They are a great duo, comparable to Captain Hook and Smee in "Peter Pan. I love them.
And as I mentioned earlier, the amusement park of horrors where bad children transform into donkeys. I feel sorry for the children, because they were allowed to do whatever they wanted to do in this place. They were bad boys to begin with. But they were allowed to go wild at the amusement park with the permission of the adults. This is not about the children's will anymore. Once you enter that amusement park, it is game over. If they did something wrong on their own, it is still too harsh to say, "You can do it, but we won't do what you want," and then say, "You did something wrong, so you will become donkeys. Well, if they say that it is what you do every day that counts, then that's all there is to it...
In any case, I was completely enthralled by "Pinocchio" when I saw it again as an adult, and it has become one of my top favorites among the many Disney movies.
Now, "Pinocchio" was written by Tetsuo Arima about this work.Disney and Its Rivals: A History of Cartoon Media in America."The following commentary was given in the following section, which inspired me to read the original work.
Pinocchio" was based on the fairy tale of the same name by the Italian author Collodi, which Walt happened to find in a bookstore he visited in the late 1930s. Walt thought he could make an interesting film based on it and immediately ordered his staff to begin work on the adaptation. The original story was quite long, and was also quite cruel and violent.
In the original story, the boys who have done wrong are not merely turned into donkeys, but are also skinned and made into drum skins. Also, the cricket that lectures the main character is beaten to death with a mallet for making fun of him. Walt turned this into a cautionary tale that parents can safely show their children.
Film Art, Inc. and Tetsuo Arima, Disney and Its Rivals: A History of Cartoon Media in America, p.206-207
I was shocked to read this commentary. He said the crickets were beaten to death with a mallet!
Snow White.But as I said, the original is still violent and cruel.
And Walt Disney, who altered such a cruel story into a film that parents and children can safely watch together.
We take for granted the finished "Pinocchio" that Walt produced, but there is a very long way from the original story to the movie...! If we follow this change, the characteristics of the Disney film will become clearer. With this in mind, I took a keen interest in the original story of "Pinocchio.
Let's take a look at the original Disney film, "The Adventures of Pinocchio".
The story of a marionette, born in Italy and loved and read by children all over the world. Because everything is made of wood, even his thoughts are absurd. Although she thinks of the poor old man who made her, she repeatedly gets into mischief and gets into all kinds of trouble. Just when he is on the verge of happiness, he always fails. Pinocchio has been revived in the modern age with a fresh translation by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Rei Ooka. This is a timeless masterpiece, full of deep and penetrating insights into life.
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The original story of "Pinocchio" was published in 1883 by Italian author Carlo Collodi.
As mentioned in the commentary above, this book is quite different from the Disney film.
First of all, it is intense from its beginning.
Pinocchio started out as a piece of stick. A piece of stick in the workshop of a master carpenter, Mr. Sakuranbo, suddenly started talking, and the master, chilled by this, gave the stick to an old doll maker, Mr. Zeppetto.
It is a far cry from the romantic beginnings of a Disney movie.
And Old Zeppetto has no Figaro the cat or Cleo the goldfish. They were Disney creations.
And most importantly, the killing of the crickets. I was shocked to read the above commentary, and I read the passage with an open mind. Since we are here, let's take a look at the killing scene here.
Click, clink, clink."
Who's calling me?" Pinocchio was sorely disappointed. Pinocchio was shaken up.
"I am."
Pinocchio turned around and saw a fat cricket. Slowly, slowly, it was climbing up the wall.
"Oh, crickets. Who are you?"
I'm a talking cricket. I've lived in this room for over a hundred years.
But from now on, this is my room," the puppet said. If you want to keep me in a good mood, you'd better get out of here. If you want to keep me in a good mood, you'd better get out of here, and don't look back.
You can go away," Cricket replied, "but first I have to teach you some important principles. 'But first, I have to teach you an important lesson about the way things are.
Just say it.
You should be careful about children who run away from home without permission because such children will never be happy. Such children will never be happy. They will experience bitter regrets more or less.
Crickets, you can talk all you want, but I'm going to walk out of here tomorrow. I'm going to leave here tomorrow. If I stay here forever, I will be treated the same as all the other children. I will be sent to school and forced to study while being told sweet things and being frightened. To tell you the truth, I hate studying. It is much more fun to run around chasing butterflies or climbing trees and catching chicks from birds' nests.
Poor you, you're such an idiot. If you keep on doing that, you'll eventually become a big paca, a big paper paca, and everyone will laugh at you.
Shut up! You big, fat cricket! Pinocchio yelled.
The patient and thoughtful cricket, however, was not offended by his opponent's rude gesture, and continued to chide him in the same gentle voice.
If you don't like school, why don't you get a job? If you don't like school, why don't you get a job and get a piece of bread?
I'll tell you," Pinocchio replied, his blood beginning to boil. There is only one job in the world that I love.
What's that?"
I ate, drank, slept, played, and lived a life of leisure from morning till night."
Do it your way," Cricket said, his tone as quiet as ever. If you get into that kind of work, you'll end up in a charity hospital or jail, no doubt.
I'll tell you what, you big fat cricket," he said, "you better watch your mouth! ...... don't make me so angry, or I'll hurt you."
Poor Pinocchio! I can't stand you."
Why is he so indisposed?"
Why? Because you are a wooden doll, and even your brain is made of wood.
Upon hearing these last words, Pinocchio jumped up in a huff, took a wooden hammer from a stand, and threw it at the cricket that was talking.
Perhaps even Pinocchio didn't really mean to hit it. But, alas, the wooden mallet hit the cricket squarely on the head. The poor cricket chirped faintly and then died, still stuck to the wall.
Kadokawa Shoten, Carlo Collodi, translated by Rei Ooka, The Adventures of Pinocchio, p. 24-27
What do you think? Some of you may be surprised at Pinocchio's bad boy ways. I am one of them. In the Disney movie, Pinocchio is an innocent and good-natured boy who doesn't know the world, which is why he is tempted.
And the death of crickets....
I never thought he would die so quickly......and what a surprise that he was killed by Pinocchio's hand....
In fact, the crickets were not supposed to appear in the film in Walt Disney's original plan.
It would have been unwise to put a character who had died such a horrible death in a film. However, the need to portray Pinocchio in a more humanistic way led us to ask this character to appear in the film. The structure of the story required a moral being to guide the innocent Pinocchio.
And his aim was a great success. He was given the name Jiminy Cricket, transformed into a little gentleman in appearance, and became an indispensable character in the "Pinocchio" movie. That's Walt. Cricket, who was easily killed off, grew up to become a key character in the story.
In the original story, Pinocchio was about to be involved in many events. Although he was tempted, most of them were self-inflicted and chosen by Pinocchio himself. Every time there, he was badly hurt, and every time he was hurt, he would say to himself, "I will never do anything bad again. I'll be a good boy," he would remind himself, but soon he would go bad again.
To be honest, the original pairing of John and Gideon, the fox and the cat, also appeared many times. As was the case with Jiminy Cricket, the animals in the original story basically have no names. They are just given names. They look just like the animals they are. In this way, we can see Disney's characteristic here as well. Disney is using the family heirloom sword of "anthropomorphism. It is this exquisite anthropomorphism and comedic touch that has turned a simple, cunning fox and cat into the unique and honest duo of John and Gideon. The cruel and dark atmosphere of the original story was thus transformed into a cheerful, family-friendly mood.
The amusement park that left such a strong impression in the movie also appears in the original story. In the movie, Pinocchio and his friends are quickly transformed into donkeys, but in the original story, Pinocchio and his friends live there for five months playing around. In the original story, Pinocchio and his friends lived there for 5 months playing around. In the movie, Pinocchio ends up as a donkey, but in the original story, he is clearly described as having been sold, worked hard, and died a debilitating death.
Finally, there is the monster whale, which is the biggest climax in the movie. To my surprise, in the original story, it is not a whale but a giant shark. And its escape method is also quite simple. The shark, caught off guard, slips out while its mouth is open, a development that would make a movie director weep. This is another scene where Walt Disney's talents were on full display. His escape from the whale was a dramatic scene that was appropriate for the end of the story.
When you read the original story in this way, you can clearly see how Walt Disney modified the story. And it was not only Walt's changes to the scenario, but also the overwhelming quality and wonderful music that supported "Pinocchio" the movie. Walt used the proceeds from the 1937 blockbuster "Snow White" to produce the film with a budget of $2.6 million, an unheard of amount at the time. On the Splendor of the Film, by Christopher FinchThe Art of Disney."The following is explained in the following section.
Between February 1940 and August 1942, four more animated films were released. The best of these is considered to be Pinocchio (Pinocchio, 1940).
The film opens with a breathtakingly effective scene. The camera moves quickly from a single star with a large white light to the foreground, across a series of roofs in a quiet village at night, and finally to the lighted window of Grandpa Zepetto's house. It was not just a flashy spectacle that would disappear in an instant. It was a magic trick that drew the audience into the world of the story before a single word of dialogue was uttered. From that moment on, the film gripped the audience in a world of imagination and did not let go. (omitted).
The layout of Pinocchio's screen was especially original, and the background art was unparalleled. The influence of Albert Hafter can be felt throughout the film, as in "Snow White. The music was also very effective. Although it may be a step behind "Snow White" in terms of originality, the music is superb, including "Give a Little Whistle" and "When You Wish Upon a Star. Both were composed by Lee Harline and written by Ned Washington.
Pinocchio" is a tour de force of skillful storytelling combined with the excellent skills of the animators. Despite the critical acclaim, however, the film's audience growth was modest. The film was released less than five months after the outbreak of World War II, and the public was probably not in the mood for this kind of fairy tale. However, "Pinocchio" is not just a funny movie. Although it has a happy ending, it is a masterpiece with a darker and sadder side than most of Disney's films.
Kodansha, The Art of Disney, translated by Christopher Finch and Maeda Mieko, p59-61
Pinocchio is more than just a funny movie. It is a masterpiece with a happy ending, but one of the darkest and saddest aspects of Disney's work."
That's exactly what I think. Pinocchio" is a work of art that can't be summed up as a mere children's movie.
There is a greatness to this work that I feel only now that I am an adult.
The original is undoubtedly a brilliant satirical and didactic work, but hats off to Walt Disney for transforming it into such a visual work of art. Pinocchio" is the best way to experience Disney's greatness. I highly recommend you to enjoy the original story and the movie as a set. I was also quite shocked. Why don't you pick up a copy?
The above is "Is the original "Pinocchio" cruel? Pinocchio Kills Jiminy...I've been thinking about the brilliant alterations made to the Disney film".
The Amazon product page for this work, "The Adventures of Pinocchio," isthis way (direction close to the speaker or towards the speaker)
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