Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night
Director: Hal Sutherland
Cast: James Earl Jones, Tom Bosley, Scott Grimes, Don Knotts, Rickie Lee Jones,
Based on the fairy tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” follows the adventures of Pinocchio as he struggles to understand his life as a real boy and the consequences that follow when his choices lead him down the wrong path.
One of the most powerful themes in this film is freedom and nowhere is this theme illustrated more powerfully than in the choices – both good and bad - that Pinocchio makes throughout the film.
When the story begins, Pinocchio and his father are celebrating his first birthday as a real boy. When Pinocchio makes his birthday wish, the Blue Fairy appears and tells Pinocchio that with his new life, he has been given a precious gift: the freedom of choice. She tells Pinocchio that if he protects his gift, he will remain a real boy, but if he takes his freedom for granted, the consequences of that choice would be severe.
Pinocchio’s first choice comes when he is given the responsibility of delivering a valuable jewel box to the town mayor. Rather than delivering the jewel box and coming straight home as his father tells him to, Pinocchio instead chooses to trade the box to a manipulative raccoon named Professor Scalawag in exchange for a “valuable” ruby. When Pinocchio returns home and discovers that the “priceless ruby” is in fact a fake, he is ashamed of his mistake, but rather than taking responsibility for it, Pinocchio instead chooses to run away and join the carnival. The choice proves to be a fatal one, when Pinocchio is transformed back into a puppet by Puppetino, the carnival’s malevolent puppet master.
Pinocchio’s greatest challenge comes when the Emperor forces him to make an excruciating choice: he can choose between relinquishing his freedom to the Emperor and becoming a puppet again; a choice that would ultimately end not only Pinocchio’s life but the life of the Blue Fairy as well, or sacrificing his father to the Emperor and so that he could remain free as a real boy. Rather than succumbing to the Emperor’s malevolent power, Pinocchio makes the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love; he chooses to save his father from the Emperor, even though doing so meant sacrificing his own life.
I have not watched “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” since I was a child, but one word that would best describe this movie is terrifying. As I watched the film through the eyes of an adult, I was unnerved by the film’s grotesque story and animation style and especially by the Emperor himself. While the casting is decent in this film, the actor who shines the most is James Earl Jones who gives a dark and sinister aura to the Emperor of the Night. While not for the faint of heart, I would still recommend this film if you enjoy a nostalgic 80’s cartoon.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Hal Sutherland
Cast: James Earl Jones, Tom Bosley, Scott Grimes, Don Knotts, Rickie Lee Jones,
Based on the fairy tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” follows the adventures of Pinocchio as he struggles to understand his life as a real boy and the consequences that follow when his choices lead him down the wrong path.
One of the most powerful themes in this film is freedom and nowhere is this theme illustrated more powerfully than in the choices – both good and bad - that Pinocchio makes throughout the film.
When the story begins, Pinocchio and his father are celebrating his first birthday as a real boy. When Pinocchio makes his birthday wish, the Blue Fairy appears and tells Pinocchio that with his new life, he has been given a precious gift: the freedom of choice. She tells Pinocchio that if he protects his gift, he will remain a real boy, but if he takes his freedom for granted, the consequences of that choice would be severe.
Pinocchio’s first choice comes when he is given the responsibility of delivering a valuable jewel box to the town mayor. Rather than delivering the jewel box and coming straight home as his father tells him to, Pinocchio instead chooses to trade the box to a manipulative raccoon named Professor Scalawag in exchange for a “valuable” ruby. When Pinocchio returns home and discovers that the “priceless ruby” is in fact a fake, he is ashamed of his mistake, but rather than taking responsibility for it, Pinocchio instead chooses to run away and join the carnival. The choice proves to be a fatal one, when Pinocchio is transformed back into a puppet by Puppetino, the carnival’s malevolent puppet master.
Pinocchio’s greatest challenge comes when the Emperor forces him to make an excruciating choice: he can choose between relinquishing his freedom to the Emperor and becoming a puppet again; a choice that would ultimately end not only Pinocchio’s life but the life of the Blue Fairy as well, or sacrificing his father to the Emperor and so that he could remain free as a real boy. Rather than succumbing to the Emperor’s malevolent power, Pinocchio makes the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love; he chooses to save his father from the Emperor, even though doing so meant sacrificing his own life.
I have not watched “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” since I was a child, but one word that would best describe this movie is terrifying. As I watched the film through the eyes of an adult, I was unnerved by the film’s grotesque story and animation style and especially by the Emperor himself. While the casting is decent in this film, the actor who shines the most is James Earl Jones who gives a dark and sinister aura to the Emperor of the Night. While not for the faint of heart, I would still recommend this film if you enjoy a nostalgic 80’s cartoon.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.