The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Adventures of Pinocchio
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Steve Barron
Produced by	Heinz Bibo Raju Patel Jeffrey M. Sneller
Written by	Sherry Mills Steve Barron Tom Benedek Barry Berman
Narrated by	David Doyle
Starring	Martin Landau Jonathan Taylor Thomas Rob Schneider Udo Kier Bebe Neuwirth David Doyle Geneviève Bujold
Music by	Rachel Portman Lee Holdridge
Cinematography	Juan Ruiz Anchía
Editing by	Sean Barton
Studio	The Kushner-Locke Company Savoy Pictures Pangaea Holdings Twin Continental Films
Distributed by	New Line Cinema (United States) PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (International)
Release date(s)	July 26, 1996 (1996-07-26)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States Czech Republic France United Kingdom Germany
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Money made	$15,094,530

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a 1996 fantasy family film. It was directed by Steve Barron. The movie is based on the original 1883 book by Carlo Collodi. Steve Barron worked with Sherry Mills, Tom Bender, and Barry Berman on the story. This film was a joint project from America, Britain, France, the Czech Republic, and Germany. It was produced by several companies, including New Line Cinema. The movie stars Martin Landau, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Rob Schneider.

Story of Pinocchio

In a forest in Italy, a woodcarver named Geppetto carves a heart into a pine tree. He is secretly in love with a woman named Leona. After he leaves, lightning strikes the tree. This gives the carved heart a special magic.

Years later, Geppetto finds the tree's remains. He carves a marionette (a puppet moved by strings) from it. He names the puppet Pinocchio. Because of the tree's magic, Pinocchio comes to life! He calls Geppetto his father.

Pinocchio chases a pigeon outside. He meets Leona and then two tricky thieves. Their names are Volpe and Felinet. They work for Lorenzini, a mean theater director. The thieves tell Lorenzini about Pinocchio. Lorenzini tries to buy Pinocchio, but Geppetto refuses.

Pinocchio climbs out a window and goes into town. He joins other boys at school. He gets into a fight with a boy named Lampwick. When Pinocchio lies about the fight, his nose grows longer. He gets kicked out of class.

Sadly, Pinocchio accidentally damages a local bakery. Because of this, Geppetto is arrested. Pinocchio runs home and meets a talking cricket named Pepe. Pepe tells Pinocchio to be good to become a real boy.

The next day, Pinocchio and Geppetto go to court. Geppetto will be jailed if he cannot pay a fine. Lorenzini offers to pay the debt if Pinocchio is given to him. Geppetto sadly agrees.

Pinocchio becomes a star in Lorenzini's shows. He gets gold coins as payment. But Pepe helps him see that Lorenzini does not truly care for him. Pinocchio saves Geppetto's other puppets from being burned by Lorenzini. He accidentally sets the theater on fire.

Pinocchio jumps into a river and escapes to the forest. He decides to live there. Felinet and Volpe find him and trick him out of his gold coins. Pinocchio then sees a stage coach carrying Lampwick and other boys. They are going to Terra Magica. This is a secret fun-fair where boys can do whatever they want.

Meanwhile, Geppetto and Leona are looking for Pinocchio. Geppetto loses track of him. He finds Pinocchio's hat on a beach and rows out to sea. At the fun-fair, Pinocchio, Lampwick, and other boys ride a roller-coaster. Drinking the water at Terra Magica turns them into donkeys. This shows their bad behavior. Pinocchio only gets donkey ears because he has holes in his body.

The fun-fair belongs to Lorenzini. He sells the donkeys to circuses and farms. Pinocchio makes Lampwick kick Lorenzini into the cursed water. This turns Lorenzini into a sea monster. He is forced to flee into the ocean. The boys and donkeys escape the fun-fair. Pinocchio meets Leona at the beach. He then sets out to find his father at sea.

Pinocchio and Pepe are swallowed by a giant whale-like sea monster. They realize it is Lorenzini! Inside his stomach, they find Geppetto. They try to escape up Lorenzini's throat. Pinocchio lies to make his nose grow longer, making the passage bigger. His nose breaks. Lorenzini starts to choke. He comes to the ocean surface and spits out Geppetto and Pinocchio. Lorenzini is left to choke in the ocean depths.

On land, Pinocchio and Geppetto hug. Pinocchio's tears fall onto the heart carving. The same magic from before turns him into a real boy! They hug again, amazed by the miracle. Pepe congratulates Pinocchio and leaves to rest. He promises to see Pinocchio again soon.

On the way home, Pinocchio meets Felinet and Volpe. He tricks them into going to Terra Magica and drinking the cursed water. Later, they are shown to have turned into a real cat and a fox. A farmer captures them as pets. They see Pinocchio in town and regret their choices. The donkeys all turn back into boys. Geppetto and Leona get married. Pinocchio gives his father a log to carve into a girlfriend for him.

Characters in the Film

Live Action Characters

• Martin Landau plays Geppetto, a poor puppet maker. He accidentally brings Pinocchio to life.
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas plays Pinocchio, the main character. He wants to learn right from wrong to become a real boy.
• Geneviève Bujold plays Leona, Geppetto's friend. She is secretly in love with him.
• Udo Kier plays Lorenzini, a new character for the film. He is a mix of three characters from the original book.
• Bebe Neuwirth plays Felinet, a clever con artist. She is always looking for money.
• Rob Schneider plays Volpe, Felinet's not-so-smart partner.
• Corey Carrier plays Lampwick. He becomes Pinocchio's best friend.

Voice Cast Characters

• Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the voice of Pinocchio when he is a puppet.
• Rob Schneider is the voice of Volpe when he turns into a fox.
• Bebe Neuwirth is the voice of Felinet when she turns into a cat.
• David Doyle is the voice of Pepe. Pepe is a talking cricket who helps Pinocchio know right from wrong.

Music from the Movie

The movie's music was released as a soundtrack album. It includes songs by famous artists like Stevie Wonder and Brian May from the band Queen. The music score was created by Lee Holdridge and Rachel Portman.

Sequel Film

A second movie, called The New Adventures of Pinocchio, came out in 1999. Martin Landau played Geppetto again. Udo Kier returned as Lorenzini's wife, Madame Flambeau. These were the only two actors from the first movie to come back. Gabriel Thomson played Pinocchio in this movie. It was filmed in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

See also

In Spanish: Pinocho, la leyenda para niños