We all know the timeless story of the wooden puppet who desperately wanted to become a real boy. Pinocchio doesn’t exactly get the recognition that a lot of other Disney flicks get, but film historian J.B. Kaufman called the animated classic, “one of the real pinnacles of animation.” In celebration of the puppet who taught us to wish upon a star, here are 7 peculiar facts you never knew about Pinocchio.
1. About 700 artists worked on the film.
Production for Pinocchio started about 3-5 years prior to the film’s release and it took 700-800 artists to get the film to its final stage.
2. Jiminy Cricket wasn’t originally the narrator.
When the decision was made to make the lovable cricket the narrator, a ton of material had to be cut and changed in the film. According to Kaufman, “They could’ve made three or four films with all of that story material.”
3. Originally, Pinocchio was the actual worst.
Pinocchio has some annoying moments in the film, but originally he was a brat who didn’t listen to anyone. Disney had to make him more appealing for the public.
4. Pleasure Island was originally called Bogeyland.
It also had super dark elements to it.
5. The animators built the clocks in Gepetto’s office IRL.
In order to impress Walt Disney with their work and prove that their animated clocks would work in real life they actually took the time to build those intricate clocks.
6. Walt Disney was extremely hands on with production.
Disney was involved in every step of making this film, including getting pitch sketches from artists. Disney was a notorious perfectionist and if you couldn’t deliver what he wanted he would let you know,
7. Pinocchio was the first Disney flick to lose money.
Coming off the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney Studios was on a roll. However, Pinocchio lost money at first, though it picked up traction eventually.
