Pinocchio: The Series

Did You Know?

• The original Japanese opening theme is "Kashi no Ki Mokku" sung by Kumiko Onoki.
• The English adaptation theme song "It's Pinocchio" was produced by Saban.
• The Tatsunoko version of Pinocchio appears in a 2019 episode of the Brazilian animated series Zuzubaland.

Setting

This version follows a wooden marionette brought to life by a mystical Fairy with Turquoise Hair. Pinocchio (Mock) is characterized by numerous faults including selfishness, sarcasm, insensitivity, indolence, obstinacy, dupability, self-pity, over-trusting, gullibility, stupidity, disobedience, compulsive lying, arrogance, greed, cowardice, recklessness, pettiness, cruelty, foolishness, and an inability to learn from mistakes. In the fifth episode, "What is a Heart", Pinocchio attempts murder to acquire a child's heart, believing it will make him a real boy. Throughout the series, his delinquency and disobedience lead to costly ordeals of hardship and pain. In the tenth episode, "When my nose gets longer", he is adopted by a Nobleman and becomes a prince, growing so corrupted that he rides down servants and villagers for amusement. The blue fairy punishes him by making his nose turn into a small tree, after which he is disowned and cast out naked into the wilderness. The following episode sees Pinocchio transformed into a small tree with a face, rooted in soil, until a woodcutter chops him down and sells him as a novelty singing tree.

Plot overview

The story begins with an oak tree losing a branch in a storm, which is found by an elderly, childless woodcarver who carves it into a marionette and names him Pinocchio (Mokku in Japanese, derived from "Moku" meaning wood). That night the fairy of the oak tree grants Geppetto's wish by giving Pinocchio life, though he must earn humanity. Pinocchio goes on adventures in his village and surrounding area, typically ignoring Cricket's advice and getting into trouble, or trying to do good while others take advantage of his naivete. With help from Cricket, the Oak Fairy, and his father, he escapes situations and learns lessons about life. The focus shifts at the end of episode 29 when, after defending his village from bandits, Pinocchio is captured by Sneeroff, who later picks up Jack the Fox and Willie the Weasel to tour as entertainers. Geppetto searches for him with Charlie the Mouse, but they keep missing each other. Sneeroff takes the group to Africa for diamonds, but their ship is destroyed in a storm, leaving Jack and Willie's fates unknown. Pinocchio journeys in search of his father, often just missing him, and eventually reunites with Jack and Willie, helping free them and other animals from Sneeroff, leading to the puppeteer's arrest.

English dub movie

The movie begins with Pinocchio being carved by Geppetto from a fallen oak tree branch and given life by the tree's guardian fairy. The fairy also gives magic to Timothy, a cricket living in the branch, allowing him to speak and act as Pinocchio's guardian. Rudy the mouse living in Geppetto's home becomes jealous. On the way to school, Pinocchio sees a traveling puppet show and is convinced by a classmate to skip class and sell his schoolbooks to attend. The puppeteer buys him from the classmate, and Pinocchio is forced to perform. On one night, the other puppets advise him to escape, and though nearly caught when trying to rescue them, he returns home. Later, Geppetto gives him a gold coin (though earlier shots show it as copper) to run errands. Rudy speaks to Sly the Fox and Slick the Weasel, who trick Pinocchio into planting the coin near a magic tree. The animals dig up the coin when he leaves for water. The Oak Fairy admonishes him, and the tree matures rapidly, growing gold coins that attract townspeople who cut it down. Pinocchio returns home and apologizes, and Geppetto forgives him.

Home media

Jetix distributed the Saban version on DVD across Europe, mainly in the UK through Maximum Entertainment LTD, with two volumes titled The Magical World of Pinocchio and The Adventures of Pinocchio. These releases cut certain scenes, like the cricket's death. The Jim Terry compilation film first came out on VHS from Video Gems in 1984, then from MasterVision's Kids Cartoon Collection in 1987. Celebrity Home Entertainment, GoodTimes Home Video, and UK's Pickwick Video also issued it. A remastered version, licensed by Liberty International Publishing, was released by Warner Home Video on DVD and VHS in both the UK and US. The original Japanese series had 20 episodes on ten VHS tapes in the late 1990s, plus nine episodes across three selection DVDs: Volume 1 with the first three episodes, Volume 2 with episodes 10, 23, and 28, and Volume 3 with episodes 36, 44, and 52. The full series got a 1080p HD Blu-Ray release in 2020 as part of the Anime Memories Library. The Saban dub appeared on four VHS volumes from Video Treasures in the US in 1991, and later on DVD from Divisa Home Video in Spain in 2006.