Pinocchio (1940 Film) - Plot

Plot

After singing the film's signature song "When You Wish upon a Star" over the opening credits, Jiminy Cricket explains to the audience that he is going to tell a story of a wish coming true. Opening the book, in flashback, he tells how he moved into the workshop of the woodworker Geppetto one night to warm himself from the cold. The old woodworker lives alone with his cat, Figaro and his fish, Cleo. Jiminy watches as Geppetto finishes work on a wooden marionette whom he names Pinocchio. Before falling asleep, Geppetto makes a wish on a star that Pinocchio could be a real boy. During the night, the star, in the form of a Blue Fairy, visits the workshop to grant Geppetto's wish. She makes Pinocchio come alive, while remaining still a puppet. The fairy tells Pinocchio that if he wants to become a real boy of flesh and blood he must prove himself to be brave, truthful and unselfish and able to tell right from wrong by listening to his conscience. Pinocchio does not understand what a conscience is, and Jiminy reveals himself to explain it to him. The Blue Fairy asks if Jiminy would serve as Pinocchio's conscience, a task he accepts.

Geppetto discovers that his wish has come true, and is filled with joy. The next day, he sends Pinocchio on his first day of school. However, the naive Pinocchio is spotted by the conniving con artists Honest John and Gideon, who quickly decide to sell the living puppet for money. They convince him to join Stromboli's puppet show instead. Pinocchio becomes Stromboli's star attraction as a magic string-less marionette. Jiminy, seeing Pinocchio's sudden success, decides he has failed as a conscience and leaves. Gepetto, worried about Pinocchio's absence, goes out to look for him. Stromboli, meanwhile, expects to make much more money with Pinocchio working for him. When Pinocchio wants to go home for the night (though promising to come back in the morning), Stromboli turns brutal and locks Pinocchio in a birdcage to prevent him from leaving, and warns him that if he grows too old, he will chop him into firewood. Jiminy returns to Pinocchio, but is unable to free him. During the night, the Blue Fairy comes to ask why Pinocchio disobeyed Geppetto. Despite Jiminy's urgings, Pinocchio tells an overblown story to hide his shame, but with each lie his nose grows and grows until it is like the branch of a tree. The Blue Fairy explains that "a lie will keep growing and growing, until it's as plain as the nose on your face." Pinocchio vows to do better from now on and the Blue Fairy changes his nose back to normal and sets him free, warning that this will be the last time she helps him.

Meanwhile, Honest John and Gideon meet up with the sinister Coachman in a local tavern and boast of their success luring Pinocchio away. Impressed by their story, the Coachmen tells them of his business 'collecting stupid little boys' and taking them to Pleasure Island. He offers them a reward for every boy they bring to him.

Unfortunately, on his way back to Geppetto's house, Pinocchio is once again led astray by Honest John and Gideon, who convince him that he is sick, and the only cure is to go to Pleasure Island. He is put on the coach, with Jiminy secretly following. On his way Pinocchio befriends Lampwick, a misbehaved and destructive boy. Soon Pinocchio and the other boys arrive on the island, where there are no adults, and boys are free to enjoy gambling, smoking, getting drunk and wanton destruction, much to Jiminy's dismay. Jiminy angrily confronts Pinocchio for his behavior, but is brutally taunted by Lampwick, and furiously walks out on both of them. Then Jiminy discovers the island harbours a terrible curse. After a day of pleasure and destructive behavior, the boys transform into donkeys, who are then sold to work in the salt mines and circuses as part of an evil racket run by The Coachman and his ape-like henchmen. Lampwick is soon transformed into a donkey, but with Jiminy's help, Pinocchio manages to escape with only a donkey's ears and tail.

Upon returning home, they find the workshop empty and soon learn (from a letter by the Blue Fairy) that Geppetto, while venturing out to sea to rescue Pinocchio from Pleasure Island, had been swallowed, along with Figaro and Cleo, by a giant whale named Monstro. Determined to rescue his father, Pinocchio jumps into the bottom of the ocean, with Jiminy accompanying him. However, Pinocchio is soon found and swallowed by Monstro, where he is reunited with Geppetto and his pets inside the whale. While shocked at Pinocchio's donkey-ears and tail, Geppetto is just glad to have his "little wooden head" back. Although Gepetto has given up on escaping, Pinocchio devises an escape plan by burning wood in order to make Monstro sneeze them out. The plan works, but the enraged whale gives chase and destroys their raft. Eventually, Pinocchio succeeds in getting Geppetto to safety in a cave under a cliff before Monstro rams into it. Despite Monstro's defeat, Pinocchio dies while saving them. Back in Gepetto's house, as the group mourns over Pinocchio's body, the Blue Fairy is touched by his sacrifice and resurrects him into human-form, much to the joy of his family. When Jiminy steps outside to thank the Fairy, she decides he has done well, and gives him a gold badge that certifies him as an official conscience.