The following contains spoilers for Pinocchio, now streaming on Disney+.
Robert Zemeckis' Pinocchio continues Disney's trend of live-action remakes, following the likes of The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Aladdin. Admittedly, the studio does try to maintain the magic of old, sticking relatively closely to the narrative of the 1940 animated classic, with Tom Hanks as Geppetto craving a son. However, there are key changes made, some nuanced and others for fun, to add mystique, edge and excitement as Pinocchio once more embarked on a treacherous journey to turn into a real boy for his dad.
Geppetto & His Doll Got a Tragic Origin
The original Pinocchio opened with Geppetto wishing for a son and the Blue Fairy bringing his puppet to life. In the remake, Geppetto's wish is silent, but the Fairy does arrive and bring Pinocchio to life as the man sleeps. This played into Geppetto's silent pain, with the new take confirming he lost his wife and son. It further explained he made clocks to pass the time after they departed, which added emotional heft to him selling them later to get a boat to rescue Pinocchio from Pleasure Island. There's one more new cut in the duo's history, with Geppetto naming him Pinocchio because he's made out of pine.
Geppetto's Clocks Feature Disney Nods
The Pinocchio remake sticks in a lot of Disney references when all the cuckoo clocks in the workshop go off. There are replicas of Woody from Toy Story, Jessica and Roger Rabbit from 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which Zemeckis also directed, and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, among the many. Additionally, the new movie has a cop stopping a woman from spanking her kid in one clock, reminding fans how Disney has evolved with the times.
The Gun, Cigarettes and Beer Are Removed
The original Pinocchio had Geppetto smoking a pipe and wielding a gun at the start, thinking an intruder was around. Additionally, Pinocchio also got drunk with the other boys at Pleasure Island, and there was the offensive Tobacco Row that depicted Native Indians dispensing cigarettes. The new film removes all of these, with Pinocchio drinking root beer and actually not engaging in hooliganism with the others.
The Blue Fairy's Role Is Drastically Changed
The original Pinocchio had the Blue Fairy helping the puppet out more, as seen when she freed him from Stromboli's road show. She also arrived in the finale to bring him to life again after the kid seemingly died in the battle with the whale. In this reboot, she isn't seen apart from the opening sequence when she brings the doll to life. Her blue glow's around in the more sentimental moments, though, suggesting she's there in spirit.
'When You Wish Upon a Star' Gets Remixed
In the animated Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket sang "When You Wish Upon a Star," but he's found humming it more in this remake. The Blue Fairy was the one who offered the rendition at the start of this new version. To top it off, Pinocchio sang the tune as well in the finale when he shed a tear in a magical moment that subverted the old ending.
Geppetto Died, Not Pinocchio
In the original film, Pinocchio died after facing Monstro, the sea monster. The Fairy brought him back to life at Geppetto's home, though, where he became a real boy and lived happily ever. Here, the subverted ending had Geppetto as the one who died. Luckily, Pinocchio's tears brought the old man back to life. Ironically, it's actually left vague if the kid did become a real boy, crafting a more nuanced, mysterious ending.
Pinocchio Got a Love Interest
The new Pinocchio added Fabiana, a puppeteer at Stromboli's show. She was a former ballerina who had suffered an injury to her foot. She quickly warmed to Pinocchio, using her own puppet, Sabina, to build trust. Fabiana later showed up when Pinocchio was at the beach, using Sabina to let him know he was a good person. Pinocchio was smitten, hugging Sabina and hoping to see her in the future as the ladies got rid of Stromboli and did their own roadshow. Interestingly, Pinocchio telling Sabina he couldn't join them, as he had to rescue his dad, removed his donkey ears, whereas he died with these ears in the animated movie.
Pinocchio Has a Fast & Furious Water Experience
The old Pinocchio had the puppet walking the bottom of the ocean bed, talking to aquatic life to find Geppetto at sea. In the remake, a talking seagull named Sofia is instead used to help the kid out. She pulled him via rope, akin to a jet ski, so he could race to Geppetto's boat. As for when the leviathan sneezed them out, the original had them using a raft and paddles to get to shore, while the retelling has Pinocchio using his legs as propellors to jet them to shore at high speed.
Monstro Is More of a Leviathan
The sea monster that swallowed and sneezed them out in the animated Pinocchio was a whale, Monstro. Here, Geppetto called it a whale again, but it really was a kaiju. The leviathan had the build of a whale but also giant eyes, tentacles and sharper teeth. It definitely came off meaner and more intimidating.
The Coachman Gained More Power as a Tyrant
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The original Pinocchio focused on the Coachman taking mischievous kids to Pleasure Island, waiting until they turned into donkeys and then selling them for labor at the salt mines. The remake made this darker, as the Coachman had a bunch of shadow monsters to corral kids. Here, the Coachman also stole Pinocchio off the streets after he escaped Stromboli, as opposed to the 1940 film, where Honest John brought the kid.
Pinocchio's School Trip Is Weirder
In the animated film, Pinocchio never made it to school -- he just got thrown into a ton of dark adventures thanks to Honest John and Gideon. The remake changed this up by adding a weird scene where he saw poop in the street and spent some time admiring it before actually getting to school. Sadly, he was quickly kicked out of the classroom, as the teacher didn't want any talking puppets there.
Jiminy Doesn't Get a Glow-Up
Jiminy got a golden badge from the Fairy in the original for being Pinocchio's conscience and guiding him to be truthful, honest and selfless. That conclusion did feel cheap, though, as if he were aiding the kid just for self-gain. The new flick cut this totally and instead had Jiminy ending the movie by saying how no one cared whether Pinocchio was flesh and bone or wood; his kindness made him real to them.
Pinocchio is now streaming on Disney+.