Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

Release Date: March 10, 2009
Length: 88 minutes
Rating: G
T2 Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

The Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray is a masterpiece of storytelling and animation that you have to see to believe. The digital restoration to the film and 1080p Hi-Def Blu-ray experience gives viewers for the first tim, a chance to see the breathtaking artwork that went into this classic.

The story revolves around the wish of a puppetmaker named Gepetto that his marionette would become a real boy. With some guidance of Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio's journey takes him on the road has him performing for Stromboli and off to Pleasure Island with The Coachman.

Musically it's solid with Academy Award winning music that earned the film Best Song and Score. Classics include: When You Wish Upon A Star plus the fun loving songs Give A Little Whistle, I've Got No Stings and Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee.

This movie can be enjoyed multiple times since it comes with an audio commentary featuring Leonard Maltin, Eric Goldberg and J.B. Kaufman, a Cine Explorer with full motion Picture and Picture.

Accompanying the film are several extras, including:

No Strings Attached, The Making of Pinocchio (55 minutes): Historians reflect on what went into making Walt Disney's 2nd full-length animated feature. This covers every aspect of the film from the animators, actors, technology and story along with fascinating facts.

Deleted Scenes (10 minutes): A look at the storyboards that were never used in the film - The Story of The Grandfather Tree, In The Belly Of The Wale and an Alternate Ending.

Geppettos Then And Now (10 minutes): A fun piece that celebrates the work of toymakers from all over the world and their unique craft. It features a look at some classic toys and a preview of what the future holds.

The Blu-ray also includes four games: Pinocchio's Matter Of Facts, Disney Smart Games: Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge, Pinocchio's Puzzles and Pleasure Island Carnival Games. While they are far superior to the games found on DVD they're about middle of the road in terms of what's been done on recent Blu-ray titles.

For the first time you can enjoy the lavish animations of the greatest animators that ever lived on Blu-ray Hi-Def. You really have to see this one in this format to enjoy the rich artwork that is pervasive in every scene. Highly recommended!

Advisory: While this Disney classic is a G-Rated film it features some dark segments, language that includes multiple references to the synonym of a donkey and extended scenes of children smoking.

-T2