Customer Reviews

Pinocchio's Christmas [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Filmed in Rankin/Bass's uncomparable stop-motion animation technique, "Animagic", this lesser-known special ranks right up there with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Tricked by a mean fox and dim-witted cat, Pinocchio loses the money he planned to use to buy Pappa Gepetto a Christmas present (which he obtained by selling the arithmetic book Gepetto bought him). This begins a series of very amusing adventures. The Pinocchio character is so cute in this show....he's very mischievous but very lovable. Another colorful and warm special from R/B.

This version of "Pinocchio" was created by Rankin/Bass, the same people, who produced "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer," which originally aired in the 60's. This classic should be released on DVD by itself. Great Christmas classic with a great moral! Buy it today!

This is the story of everyone's favorite wooden boy who's having his first Christmas. Things go very well, until Pinocchio goes to a puppet show to try and earn money for presents, and when he doesn't, he meets some girl the apple of his eye whose name is Julietta. Pinocchio steals Julietta from the puppet master and brings her to the forest of enchantment in hopes that someday she will come to life. While he and Julietta are having fun in the forest, a white glow comes and makes Pinocchio unconscious. Then the blue fairy brings him and Julietta to her throne room and Pinocchio tells her how he began to meet Julietta. Later on in the movie Pinocchio's wish about Julietta being alive comes true.

This movie, and Princess Mononoke are two state of perfection and promote good values, such as honor and love.

PLOT: Pinnocchio is told about christmas by Gepetto, who gives him an early present. Pinnochio sells it to buy a present for Gepetto, and along the way gets caught lying. The bad Fox and Cat trick him into burying his money to grow a tree of silver and gold. Pinnochio goes to work in a puppet show, and rescues a girl puppet, then hides in the enchanted woods. Pinnochio lands up at the North Pole, teaching toys how to dance. Later the Fox and Cat sell him as a present to a rich Duke for his kids, and when Pinnochio learns that the busy Duke only spends 3 minutes with his kids on Christmas he makes him change his ways.

BACKGROUND INFO: This show is a 1 hour TV special that first aired on ABC on December 3, 1980. Made 16 years after Rudolph, the technical ability of the studio Animimagic stop motion work made the action more life-like than ever before. For one thing the puppets themselves are better made than ever before, and the stop-motion is more fluid than any other show they had made before. Pinnocho is voiced by Ted Porter. The cricket is voiced by Robert McFadden, who did other work for the studio. George Irving as Gepetto, Alan King as the voice of Maestro, Allen Swift, Diane Leslie, and Pat Bright also lend their voices. Written by Romeo Muller. The music is by Maury Laws, who wrote the music for Rudolph and many other shows. While Jules Bass wrote the lyrics for many of the specials, the yrics were by Julian Gardener. Character design was by Paul Coker Jr. who did the design for most of the shows from Rankin/Bass, both cel animated and animagic. He did all the characters for 'Year Without a Santa Claus' for example.

If you are a Rankin/Bass fan, give this title a chance, it's better than it sounds. It is loaded with 7 songs including, "Gonna Get lucky, Knock on Wood"; I Never Know What Gifts to Buy, Do You?"; "The Very Best Friend I Ever Had"; "Let 'Em Laugh"; "It's the Truth"; "The Perfect Gift for Christmas Day"; and "Dancin'", surely the best song in the special.

Their studio has brought us such memorable holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Year without a Santa Claus, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, Mad Monster Party, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Mouse on the Mayflower, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Cricket on the Hearth, the Stingiest Man in Town, Jack Frost, Pinnochio's Christmas, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, the First Easter Bunny. They also made non-holiday films such as the Hobbit, Flight of Dragons, the Last Unicorn. It is incredible that one company is responsible for all those TV specials, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action. I hope this comes out on a restored DVD soon, I have bought all the other Rankin/Bass that have been released on DVD.

I've always loved the immortal story of Pinocchio and of course treasure the classic animated Disney film released in 1940 that continues to enchant viewers of each new generation. It has been an absolute joy this last Christmas gone then to finally see this delightful Rankin and Bass "animagic", which originally premiered on television back in 1980 but strangely doesn't seem to be as well remembered as the other much loved specials that Rankin and Bass produced such as "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and "Frosty the Snowman". "Pinocchio's Christmas", offers a different slant on the famous character of Pinocchio this time placing him in a Christmas setting and the charming little story combined with the excellent animagic stop motion work makes for a truly beautiful little Christmas special that deserves to be seen more often during the festive season.

Great story, great acting, great music , this is a very very warm movie, my kids have watched it so many times they still love it, I love to watch it with them every time. Is truely the best pinocchio ever, and the price is right. this movie, and Mulan are two state of perfection in children movies. they promote love and other good values.

Out of all of the Rankin and Bass "Animagic" films, this one is definitely the worst (although "The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus" and "The Leprechaun's Gold" run close second). Weak songs, weak story. It will make you pine for their glory days of "Rudolph" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus".

This was actually made by Rankin Bass who made the delightful Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty The Snowman? This is as extremely bad as they are extremely good!

Yikes! I love watching Christmas cartoons but I didn't love watching Pinocchio's Christmas, it was awful and really lame and I can't believe it's a Rankin and Bass production. It Must have been an off day for them when they thought of this one!

Out of all of the Rankin and Bass "Animagic" films, this one is definitely the worst (although "The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus" and "The Leprechaun's Gold" run close second). Weak songs, weak story. It will make you pine for their glory days of "Rudolph" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus".