In a
small town in Italy, Geppetto, the toymaker, unveils his new toy to an excited
public. All the children in the town love his toys, but the one thing Geppetto
has always longed for is a child of his own. He decides to carve a puppet—a
wooden boy—and calls him Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy hears Geppetto wishing that
the puppet could be real and grants the wish. Pinocchio can now move without
the aid of strings, but to become a real boy, he must prove himself as a
trustworthy and honest person. She enlists the help of Jiminy Cricket to keep
an eye on the little puppet. Across the road from Geppetto’s is a food shop run
by Mama Macaroni and her son, Lampwick. She is a larger-than-life ‘Italian
Mama’ with a soft spot for Geppetto. The outside world holds many fascinations
for Pinocchio, and soon he is duped by the wily Fox and Cat into missing school
and attending the evil Stromboli’s marionette show. Stromboli sees there is
money to be made by a talking puppet with no strings and captures Pinocchio. He
is rescued in the nick of time by Jiminy, but further adventures follow at
Pleasure Island, on a Pirate Ship, and inside a Whale before Pinocchio finally
learns his lessons and becomes a real boy.
