Pinocchio (1940)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A wooden puppet brought to life by a fairy must navigate a world of temptation to prove he is worthy of becoming a real boy.
The story
In a sleepy village in Italy, a woodworker named Geppetto creates a puppet named Pinocchio. After Geppetto makes a wish upon a star, the puppet is brought to life by a Blue Fairy. She informs Pinocchio that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. To guide him, a cricket named Jiminy is assigned as his conscience. However, Pinocchio's journey is soon complicated by the influence of various characters who present him with temptations and the consequences of his choices, forcing him to navigate the line between right and wrong while trying to find his way home.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being brought to life by the Blue Fairy, Pinocchio is tasked with proving his worth to become a real boy. He is accompanied by Jiminy Cricket, who serves as his conscience. The journey takes a turn when Pinocchio is led astray by the con artist Honest John and his sidekick Gideon the Cat, who trick him into joining a puppet show and later into a deal to visit the treacherous Pleasure Island. On the island, Pinocchio and a boy named Lampwick are subjected to a curse that transforms them into donkeys. After a harrowing escape, Pinocchio learns that Geppetto has been swallowed by a giant whale named Monstro while searching for him. Pinocchio and Jiminy venture into the sea to rescue Geppetto from the whale's belly. After a perilous escape from the beast, Pinocchio is ultimately rewarded for his bravery and selflessness by the Blue Fairy, who transforms him into a real human boy, while Jiminy is awarded a gold badge as an official conscience.
- First release year
- 1940
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ben Sharpsteen; Hamilton Luske; Bill Roberts; Norman Ferguson; Jack Kinney; Wilfred Jackson; T. Hee
- Writers
- Ted Sears · story; Otto Englander · story; Webb Smith · story; William Cottrell · story; Joseph Sabo · story; Erdman Penner · story; Aurelius Battaglia · story
- Cast and characters
- Dickie Jones · Pinocchio; Cliff Edwards · Jiminy Cricket; Christian Rub · Geppetto; Clarence Nash · Figaro; Walter Catlett · Honest John; Mel Blanc · Gideon the Cat; Charles Judels · Stromboli; Evelyn Venable · Blue Fairy; Frankie Darro · Lampwick; Thurl Ravenscroft · Monstro
- Genres
- animated; musical; fantasy
- Themes
- morality; growth; conscience; self-sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; adventurous; frightening
- Setting
- A village in Italy and a fictional island.
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; fantasy; adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest animated films ever made, despite an initially unsuccessful box office due to World War II.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Music, Original Score · win; Academy Award · Best Music, Original Song · win
- Production trivia
- The character of Jiminy Cricket was originally a minor character who was killed by Pinocchio.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1994.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…