Steffi Fletcher

Retells the story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy, as he is mistakenly sold, escapes with the help of Jiminy Cricket, and tries to rescue his father from the belly of a whale.

Walt Disney's Pinocchio

Sarah Sammis

It's interesting to read the Disney Golden Book version of Pinocchio right on the heals of original Collodi version. The Golden Book is a pared down version of an already pared down version. In their brevity, they both try to make a coherent story out of Collodi's rambling allegories.

Characters that survive the transition from Collodi to Disney are Pinocchio, Geppetto, the Blue Fairy, the cat and fox (renamed), the puppeteer (now named Stromboli), the cricket (now named Jiminy), and the giant ship eating sea creature (changed from a shark to a whale and named Monstro). Scenes that survive: the carving of Pinocchio, the initial meeting of Jiminy and Pinocchio, the puppet show, Pleasure Island (a new name), the rescue of Geppetto and Pinocchio's transformation.

Frankly I'm still not a fan of either version of Pinocchio. In the original, Pinocchio is unlovable and brings most of the trouble onto himself. In the Disney version, Pinocchio is naive but otherwise likeable. He ends up sacrificing so much of himself just to fit in by way of becoming a "real boy."

Walt Disney's Pinocchio

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