The Legend of Pinocchio - Blu-Ray

Content: There are seemingly countless adaptations of Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio, the story of the wooden character carved by woodcarver Geppetto who must go through many exciting and fantastical adventures to become a real flesh and blood boy. In 1996, Irish director Steve Barron, who had previously enjoyed respectable success with the films Turtles and The Coneheads, ventured into his own interpretation of the material, in which Geppetto (Michael Landau) must sell his talking puppet to the conniving puppet theatre owner Lorenzini (Udo Kier). When he causes a major fire at his first performance, Pinocchio tries to escape the clutches of Lorenzini's evil. But he has very different plans for the puppet, culminating in a grand adventure full of danger and magic...

The Legend of Pinocchio was filmed on a fairly decent budget of just under $25 million on picturesque backdrops in the Czech Republic, Croatia and the UK. Visually, the fairy tale is absolutely convincing and its visual effects still look pleasingly contemporary even after more than 15 years. The way the makers have brought the little puppet to life here is absolutely impressive. The humor here and there comes across a bit overdone and a bit too colorful, especially when Rob Schneider, not exactly known for comedic subtlety, stumbles through the scenery as the fox. This does come across as a bit distracting to adult viewers, but for kids it's quite a bit of fun.

Anyway, Barron has created a film that serves its young target audience absolutely well. There are cute characters (the cricket), light-hearted humor of the kid-friendly kind, not-too-creepy suspense, and a nice story with a lovable hero. Then, for the new release, the whole thing has been converted to 3D, so now the viewer also has the choice of whether Pinocchio's nose should stick right out into the living room as he lies, or whether the original two-dimensional look is perfectly adequate.

Whether in 3D or 2D, The Legend of Pinocchio is a wonderfully visually realized fairy tale and a very successful adaptation of the famous story. If you're looking for an adventure for kids young and old that will transport its audience to a colorful fairy tale world for 90 minutes, you should definitely check out Steve Barron's The Legend of Pinocchio. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: For the fact that the film already has a few years on the hump, picture and sound quality leave a very positive impression. The picture is very clean, the colouring is very powerful and the sharpness of the picture is at a very high level in most scenes, through which even smaller details come out well. And the DTS-HD 5.1 MA mix, remixed for the Blu-ray, also proves to be extremely lively and transports not only the dialogue but also the numerous smaller and larger sound effects well from the home theater speakers. Good!

Extras: The only bonus features are the trailer and additional programming tips from the provider.

Financial Summary: The Legend of Pinocchio is an endearing adaptation of Carlo Collodi's popular story. True, the humor drifts a bit into the silly here and there, which also makes the production feel a bit childish. But all in all, Steve Barron has succeeded in creating a pretty fairy tale with great show values. They still work surprisingly well after 17 years, with the digital overhaul for this release also making a very positive impact. And if you want Pinocchio's nose right in your face, you can also reach for the newly created 3D version of the film. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp