Pinocchio, the character, was imagined by Carlo Collodi in 1883. The adored boy made from a block of pine by Geppetto the woodcarver was first introduced in the story The Adventures of Pinocchio. Collodi was very keen on using a impish, cynical character to explore his own personal convictions and cultural and political critiques. As late as 1938, this was how Walt Disney had characterized the much-loved wooden puppet who longed to be a real boy.

Disney, feeling that this interpretation of Pinocchio may not be well received across the board, stopped production on his second animated film. He asked for a total rethinking of the character, including how he would move, dress, and look. Initially, Pinocchio looked exactly like a puppet, with a pointed nose, pointed cap, and bare wooden hands. The new drawing of Pinocchio included a rounded face, gloved five-fingered hands, and the trademark Tyrolean hat. Moreover, Disney did way with his original scorn and world-weariness and instead opted to make Pinocchio Significantly more nave and childlike.

Likewise, the part of the cricket was rethought and expanded from Collodi’s original idea. Not initially in the film production, the cricket was given a extensive part and re-named Jiminy Cricket. He would come to be the voice of Pinocchio’s principles. Ward Kimball, one of Disney’s best animators, redrew the character to look like the dapper gentleman we are accustomed to today. He was unforgettably voiced by Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, the popular jazz vocalist and ukulele player

Gideon the Cat was slated to be voiced by Mel Blanc, the famous voice of Bugs Bunny. Disney decided, however, to make Gideon mute, giving Foulfellow the Fox the bulk of the dialogue. All of Blanc’s recorded dialogue, according to Wikipedia, was removed except for a lone hiccup we hear three times throughout the film. When Pinocchio was released in February of 1940, it was successful, but not as successful as Snow White. The total cost of the production was about $2.3 million, about twice as much as Snow White, yet it only recouped $1.9 million. The box office totals were hindered by the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Moreover, the film lacked a romantic element that had made Snow White so well-loved. Despite all these obstacles, Pinocchio was a significant success, including the song “When You Wish Upon A Star,” which would go on to be used as Disney’s memorable fanfare. The song went on to win the Academy Award for Best Song. In 1994, Pinocchio was added to the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It is considered to be the best example of hand-drawn, pre-computer-aided Disney animation.

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