"PINOCCHIO."

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 39, 14 August 1940, Page 12

"PINOCCHIO."

Coming To King's.

Musical treatment in Walt Disney's second full-length feature production, "Pinocchio," in technicolor, which opens at the King's Theatre on Friday, is on a scale as elaborate as that which marked "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Six songs are featured, each furthering the plot of the story. The picture opens on little Jimmy Cricket singing a melodious ballad, "When You Wish Upon a Star." As Jimmy completes his song, he offers to give the audience an example of a wish come true, which leads into the actual story of "Pinocchio"" The story concerns a kindly old wood-carver who creates a particularly engaging puppet, which he narhes Pinocchio. As he finishes painting a face on Pinocchio, he tries out the marionette to see how successful it is. He winds up his music boxes and, to the tinkling tunes, he manipulates Pinocchio's strings so that the latter does a dance, as Geppetto sings a quaint song. "Little Wooden-head," Another song in this sequence is "Turn on the Old Music Box." That night, the Blue Fairy gives Pinocchio life becausee Geppetto, who always wanted a son, has brought so much happiness to others. Jimmy Cricket, a little vagabond, becomes involved in the situation to the extent that the fairy dubs him Pinocchio's conscience. Jimmy sings the lively song "Give a Little Whistle," in which he tells Pinocchio that the puppet should always whistle for the Conscience when getting into trouble. Geppetto sends Pinocchio to school, but a Fox and a Cat, a pair of slick villains, spirit him away to the rollicking. tune of "Hi-diddle-dee-dee, an Actor's Life for Me," selling him to Stromboli, an unscrupulous puppet master. In the puppet show the little marionette sings aspirited song, "Got No Strings." The picture ends on a joyous note, with Jimmy reprising the song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," for the Blue Fairy has made Pinocchio a real boy because he has proven himself worthy of the honour by almost losing his life to rescue Geppetto from the villainous Monstro the Whale.