The Only Disney Movie With A Near-Perfect Metacritic Score

Disney’s first-ever feature-length animated motion picture, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” was a big gamble that helped cinema evolve as a medium. It proved that animation could be more than just short, slapstick fluff that played before the main attraction. On top of that, the film’s animators used then-new technologies such as larger cels and multiplane cameras to create fine details and ethereal watercolor backgrounds, breaking new ground along the way. Be that as it may, it’s the studio’s second animated feature, 1940’s “Pinocchio,” that remains its most well-reviewed movie.

“Pinocchio” is, of course, based on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” which originated as a children’s magazine serial. Its story centers on the titular character (Dick Jones), a wooden puppet who is magically brought to life yet still longs to be a flesh-and-blood boy. However, he soon discovers that human life isn’t easy; dangers lurk around every corner, and you must work hard for what you want. 

Not only does “Pinocchio” have a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s also the highest-rated Disney title on Metacritic with a score of 99, denoting “Universal Acclaim.” (Don’t bother with the wooden live-action remake, which has a “Generally Unfavorable” score of 33 on Metacritic.) Over 80 years later, critics and audiences still regard “Pinocchio” as one of Disney’s greatest triumphs, and it’s all too apparent why.

One reason “Pinocchio” is so highly rated is its painstakingly crafted Technicolor animation. Each of its characters has a bold style and design; every color pops — from Pinocchio’s bright blue bow-tie and wooden clogs to his “conscience” Jiminy Cricket’s (Cliff Edwards) dapper suit, Cleo the pet goldfish’s giant, ruby-red lips and batting eyes, and the Blue Fairy’s (Evelyn Venable) hypnotic blue glow. They also move with an entrancing fluidity and stand out against intricate backgrounds that make their world feel both whimsical and nightmarish, creating a very dynamic viewing experience.

You can see every groove in the wood of Geppetto’s workshop, and the ocean waves move with an impressionistic flow. Even just a singular close-up of Monstro showcases all the meticulous detail that went into each frame. You can see how the animators carefully hand-painted the sperm whale’s wet, leathery flesh and smooth, glassy eye. The European-style village where Pinocchio lives with his elderly creator Geppetto (Christian Rub) is warm and inviting, while the watercolor backgrounds of the insidious Pleasure Island are garish, with an eerie glow over the tawdry attractions. Each and every of the film frame is simply mesmerizing to look at.

Early Disney films are gutsier than what would become the studio’s standard, dreamy princess fare. The mistakes the gullible Pinocchio makes, and the threats he faces from the movie’s numerous villains (starting with Walter Catlett’s scheming anthropomorphic red fox “Honest” John) are genuinely terrifying and have high stakes. Pinocchio also falls prey to real-world temptations like smoking and drinking. In one of the movie’s most frightening storylines, he witnesses delinquent boys being turned into donkeys and enslaved for labor. The sound of their anguished braying, coupled with the sight of them kicking their heels in despair, leaves an unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach.

This is why “Pinocchio” is so emotionally cathartic — not just for young viewers, but for adults as well. It seems unlikely that the naive little titular puppet will survive unscathed, which makes his desperate desire to be a good son for Geppetto and become a real boy feel even more pressing. His love for Geppetto is so strong that he’s willing to enter the literal belly of a whale for him.

As dark as these scenes are, though, they are balanced by delicate moments such as the soft and soothing ballad “When You Wish Upon a Star.” This specific song captures the movie’s wholesome, heartwarming belief that hope is enough to crystallize into truth. Ultimately, “Pinocchio” blends innocence and darkness in a way that few other Disney movies have, making this early Disney masterpiece just about the closest the studio has come to exploring the horror genre in animation.