A Diddy About Jiminy Cricket: The Movie

As excited as I am to go through 100 years of Walt Disney Animation, I will admit that I’m not super excited to re-watch Pinocchio. I believe this is the third time I’ve seen this movie in my entire life. Even in grade school, I could tell that this wasn’t my cup of tea. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I’m determined to see what Pinocchio can offer us as a young puppet without strings. Let me just dust off my time machine and take us back to simpler times of 1940 when the magic was alive and well. Grab your popcorn and wish upon a star that this movie doesn’t put me to sleep as we dive into Disney’s animated version of Pinocchio.

Highlights

• · Jiminy Cricket is a watery main character.

• · This is not a kid’s movie anymore.

• · Personally, I’d just watch Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.

Jiminy Cricket is a Watery Main Character

I’ve always thought that this movie was about a pine puppet that turned into a real boy because of a wish that Geppetto made. Turns out it’s that it’s actually about a hobo-cricket named Jiminy who decided to squat at Geppetto’s house and ended up becoming the conscious of a pine puppet brought to life by a fairy. Jiminy tries to act like a wise figure to Pinocchio but he gives up way too easily and is spaces out when it comes to keeping track of him. Like an older brother, he’s not the best at his job but still tries to keep up with Pinocchio and keep him out of trouble. Jiminy is probably the last person who should be anyone’s conscious. He’s clearly a lustful bum who just wanted to take a nap. But as the movie goes on, he does his best to stick with Pinok through thick and thin.

Both Geppetto and Pinocchio symbolize innocent children but only Pinocchio is ignorant of the world around him. He follows all the wrong people and somehow manages to make it out before anything truly bad happens. We see how Pinocchio is easily led astray without Jiminy by his side and how stressful it can be to keep him on the right path. Pinocchio seems to only care about Jiminy when things go wrong and only has ideas of his own towards the end of the movie. I empathize with Jiminy because all he wanted to do was find a place to stay for the night and he ended up getting roped into being the babysitter of an ungrateful puppet. It’s a battle of hope vs rationality for the entire movie with the youngsters sitting in the optimistic corner.

This is NOT a Kid’s Movie Anymore

I’m not sure what all the conservatives have to say out there, but I would not show this to a child. It has aged like bread and the mold is fierce. It’s interesting to watch all of the innuendos in this movie that are passed off as temptations for Pinocchio. I’m not too keen on watching children drink, smoke, and get turned into donkeys. That seems very traumatizing for a child to watch, but then again, some kids are into Five Nights of Freddie so what do I know about censorship?

On a complete side note, Pinocchio must’ve been a source of inspiration for when prince eric washed up on shore because Geppetto was laid out the exact same way on the shore. Down to the black, shipwrecked pants.

Aside from the Movie…

Personally, I’d just watch Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. I know that’s rude to just flat-out say, but it’s true. That movie is a treasure of both Animation and Claymation. It taps into the characters beyond hollow caricatures of right and wrong but keeps the simple setting and style of the original movie. It takes a certain mastery to blend the visual with the script. While Pinocchio was hands down beautiful for the animation of its time, the script doesn’t do it for me. Although, When You Wish Upon A Star is one of my favorite Disney Songs, nothing about this movie would put it on my radar aside from checking it off the list. Pinocchio is available to watch on Disney+ and you can find Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio on Netflix.

Let the record show that I’m from the Renaissance / Post-Renaissance Age of this list of movies, so the Golden Age Era may be less captivating to me. But we will push through and watch them all, and I can’t wait to share what I find in the next movie. I look forward to seeing you in whatever form I appear. Until next time.

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.