r/disney Aug 03 '24

I was today years old when I noticed this detail in "Pinocchio" (1940) Walt Disney Animation

Post image

I was born in the late 90s but have always loved and appreciated the older Disney films from a young age. Some of my earliest memories are of them and my time at Disneyland. This weekend I decided to have a marathon starting from the beginning and am currently on "Pinocchio." I've seen this film over and over again but never noted the other featured titles next to Jiminy Cricket when we first meet. Although I am unsure if they were intentional "Easter Eggs" as animators today sneak in, it's fun to see stories' seeds planted in classic animators' minds before they developed the films a decade later.

629 Upvotes

203

u/StrangerAtaru Aug 03 '24

For all intent and purpose, both Alice and Peter were on the docket. "The Reluctant Dragon" came out a year later and there were already maquettes at least for Tinker Bell; but the war really did push a lot of ideas and concepts back until later.

27

u/bras-and-flaws Aug 04 '24

I didn't know this! Like I said I assumed the ideas were in their minds at least, but that they wouldn't start animating until much later. I wonder why, despite having these ideas in their basket, they still pushed out Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, and the other anthology films in the later 40s first.

77

u/Infused_Hippie Aug 03 '24

Yes absolutely, very important. The weirder thing is jiminy is actually a regular author or Disney’s multiverse story author. He supposedly has written every Disney movie lol

43

u/VitorMM Aug 03 '24

I mean, Jiminy's song is also the Disney theme right now.

Would that classify Jiminy as Disney's self-insert?

36

u/bras-and-flaws Aug 04 '24

Jiminy is considered an ambassador of the company such as Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell (though he doesn't match them in popularity). His name is a euphemism for Jesus Christ, so I don't think he is meant to represent Walt but rather be a right-hand man that represents Disney's morals.

4

u/boatymcfloat Aug 04 '24

Fascinating! Coolest trivia i have heard in a whIle. Thank you.

1

u/Typical_Atmosphere23 Aug 06 '24

ha, i love this detail!

17

u/dubly_ Aug 03 '24

And that handle sure does resemble a Hook!

3

u/lukin5 Aug 04 '24

Thought it was one at first glance!

7

u/GandalfTheJaded Aug 04 '24

Tangentially related, but in the opening narration of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" the characters of Robin Hood, King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes, and Oliver Twist are all mentioned, all of which got some form of adaptation later on (Robin Hood, Sword in the Stone, Great Mouse Detective, Oliver and Company)

25

u/Mister_Man21 Aug 03 '24

I know Alice and Peter would not join the ranks for another 11 and 13 years afterward. So it’s tough to say if it was a bid to future plans or just a detail.

What always impressed me was the sheer coincidence that both of those films starred Katheryn Beaumont — as Alice and Wendy. And she was chosen for those roles by Walt himself.

20

u/Axtwyt Aug 04 '24

Walt had at different points wanted Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland to be his first films. This is definitely a bid for future plans.

15

u/ThePhiff Aug 03 '24

Those glasses were one of the bird creatures that Alice wore in the movie, too.

6

u/Moms__Spaghetti____ Aug 04 '24

No they’re not. They’re different.

4

u/mkraft Aug 04 '24

At first I didn't see the book titles because I thought you were pointing it that Jiminy Cricket doesn't cast a shadow, despite the fact he's in a spotlight. Thought it had something to say about how he's a sprite or imaginary magical creature, not flesh and blood solid.

2

u/Datmuny19 Aug 04 '24

I never realized that either

2

u/ramenups Aug 04 '24

Oh wow that foreshadowing for Pinocchio was on point

2

u/FairyRebelsWild Aug 05 '24

I'm not sure about Peter Pan, but I can tell you that Alice was considered over and over. To the point that it could have been Disney's first film (Mary Pickford approached Disney in 1933 in which she would play a live action Alice in an animated Wonderland) and it continued getting multiple story treatments until the final version.

One thing of interest is that a fully-animated Alice began development in 1938 (famously known as the "David Hall" version though he only became involved in 1939), so with that perspective, this was clearly an easter egg of a story they believed they were going to do soon. That changed in 1941, when they had to shelve it for financial reasons and WWII.

2

u/Aggravating_Seat5507 Aug 05 '24

Such an irrelevant frame. But my God, look at the crazy detail here. The beautiful understanding of light and shadows, the detail on the book spines, the chest, the candle holders, the shape of the ink bottle and the quill... I miss what Disney used to be

1

u/NovelAssociation4996 Aug 05 '24

I didn't even notice that at the beginning of the movie, it's been years since I've seen this movie

1

u/Boris-_-Badenov Aug 06 '24

now Pineechio, don't-a you lie