It’s hard to believe it, but the Disney Empire is issuing one of their classic animated films with the correct colors, judging by the images posted at DVD Beaver. Pinocchio is a film I like less every time I see it, but the one time I did absolutely love it was seeing it in Technicolor at a collector friend’s place a few years ago. One of the many filmmaking arts that has been lost to the ages is using color to its full advantage. The colors in the Disney films of the 1940s and 1950s were all carefully planned to help carry the mood of the picture, so seeing a faded Eastman or maligned DVD of one of these things kills most of the effect.
There is of course going to be some disparity between an IB print and the new DVD (I for one don’t think anything digital comes even close to a projected print), but from what it looks like, this will be the first accurate release of Pinocchio in home video history. Hopefully Fantasia is next (a film I absolutely refuse to watch the DVD of seeing as it’s completely ruined).
I once had a Pinocchio video copy, likely from its 1993 VHS re-release, that was incredibly pristine, as if the film was brand new. Too bad the tape didn’t work so well and eventually broke.
Still, I’ve waited years for a Pinocchio DVD re-release, and this is very welcoming news.
Pinocchio is among my top 2 all-time favorite animated features, the other being A Boy Named Charlie Brown (yes, I know they’re light years apart except for the Bill Melendez connection).
I had the older DVD release which looked terrible so I’m looking forward to the restored edition.
Well good. This makes me even more eager to pick this up next week. I haven’t watched Pinocchio in years. So this should be an eye opener. Looking forward to it.
But lets face it, Thad. You like lots of things less every time you see it, you cynical old fool. But considering that I’ve started to come around to your way of thinking about certain things (Animaniacs for example, surprisingly) I’m starting to see where you’re coming from.
But I grew up with Pinocchio. It was always in my Disney movie rotation as a kid (along with Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood) so I’ll always have a fondness for it.
“but from what it looks like, this will be the first accurate release of Pinocchio in home video history.”
I just heard Satan is skating to work.
The colors of the Blu-Ray Pinocchio look good, but it seems like the lighting effects have been obliterated. Pinoke’s finger is on fire, but the areas surrounding the flame remain the same as the rest of the frame.
Check out Pinnoch in the pic with Stromboli. Excessive DVNR atop Pinnochio’s eyes…boo, hiss!