Filmation also ever created Snow White movie, where the evil queen has been defeated and her brother trying to do a revenge toward snow white and the prince. The concept is very fantastic at least, and Disney possibly cannot create the same, especially by the fact if Snow White here can give serious defense toward the villain plus she was accompanied by all female dwarves with special power (nah, pretty perfect for modern audience)
I could have agreed more on you. In fact, I still own it on a VHS tape during my time as I was 2 years old. I still love it very much even to this day.
When I think about it, the idea of Pinnochio falling in love with another puppet and risking losing his humanity for her might have been enough to carry a whole film just Twinkle another living puppet (and, you know, an actual character), and focus most of the story on that. If that's not involved, have the Night Emperor story as well. Except, make him The Coachman's true form, and make turning kids into puppets his new racket. It would still be a repeat of the Pleasure Island plot, but it would at least connect more to the original story, and it would be cathartic to give the book/films vilest character some actual comeuppance.
It could be interesting if Puppettino was villain's ventriloquist doll, maybe the whole puppet show is a ruse to make Pinocchio feel sympathy for Twinkle. Maybe he's weaker than the fairy and can't really create life, and that's why he needs Pinocchio to willingly give away the fairy magic of becoming a human. Then the villain can bring his army of the night to life or whatever.
I agree. I saw the original Pinnochio on video decades ago, and the Coachman scared the you-know-what out of me! I would have liked to have seen some comeuppance for that character. I also felt bad for those boys turned into donkeys (who had essentially been left to their fates).
I’m thinking that the Emperor can turn people into puppets but Pinocchio is the only puppet that became human. Basically, the devil collecting souls and Pinocchio’s soul is special since he had to ‘earn it’ instead of being born with one. Or something.
Yeah, that's basically it. Since Pinocchio was originally a lifeless puppet that then became a real boy, that does make him a "special case" in the eyes of the Emperor.
Yeah, I can see why they danced around the idea since that was really dark already without spelling it into little kids faces they’re looking at imprisoned souls in hell. The dark elements were scary enough with just the implications. Which is why I loved this movie. 😄
The talking animation was - more than good- it showed up more personality to the characters. Which is not like filmation at all. I bet the 10million budget- 9 went to animate the mouths.
See also how they reacted to Ferngulley existing. Attempted to snipe its talent, bought out the places they were animating and recording at to kick them out, and numerous other shady things.
My favorite part of this movie is that they wasted a massive chunk of its runtime trying to set up a Smurfs-like bug society that we never saw again because Filmation shut down.
It gets legitimately sad when you find out it actually got VERY far in production - being sold to stations and even having a couple episodes outright finished - but it just got abruptly plugged because the entire studio was unceremoniously closed upon buyout. There's an account from one person who was there when it happened.
There was a Japanese series about Pinocchio in which during his misadventures he comes across a river with magic water which he hopes would turn him into a real boy, but instead it makes him regress back into a tree. Also, there was an episode where Pinocchio, Jepetto and a random girl end up at a deserted island where they meet freaking Devil himself. Traumatized me a lot back then.
Also one time people tell him he can't be a real boy, bc he has no heart, so he attemots to carve another boy's heart out with a chisel (in his defense, said boy was suic*dal and Pinocchio thought he was doing him a favor)
Only watched about 2 episodes on HBO, but loved it as a kid. Loved it when I rediscovered it on YT here. Pinocchio like Peter Pan is perfect for serial adaption since author didn't have anything planned after the Money Tree part so it's just random adventures.
I'm not sure where that comment was posted, but a former Filmation animator, who worked on these last couple fairy tale movies they made to try and piggyback off the earlier work from a certain house of rodent, had corroborated the stories of how Disney lawyers would walk up and down the halls of the Filmation animation studio, glancing into the cubicles of animators and making sure each line on the drawing tables didn't resemble something from those old cartoons. Anyways, this movie will forever be cemented in my head as one of the scariest things ever made for kids. Decently animated by Filmation standards, though.
@@TommyDeonauthsArchives Definitely Musical Hell’s review. I think the guy said that he had just been hired and assigned to the movie and he had a hand in one of the bigger scenes.
Man, the Emperor of the Night has a great design. His vibe reminds me of Tirek from the first My Little Pony special (Rescue at Midnight Castle). Although he's a little more melodramatic. The color contrast between the Emperor of the Night and the Blue Fairy reminds me of the Red Bull and the unicorn in The Last Unicorn (1982).
What really gets me about this film is the fact Filmation was so confident that this was gonna be a huge new age for them, as they were planning no fewer than *11* of these 'New Classics" (as the line was called) and were hyping it up in the press as early as 1984 - and this one in particular seemed to really get a big rollout; at least one existing press kit even claiming it will make you "laugh", "cry", "sing", "dance", "stand up and cheer" in the opening credits. And for what it's worth, this IS probably the best-animated project the studio ever did; and they definitely took pride in the talent they had considering the credits were like 85% visual-related, along with "Made Entirely in the USA" being a selling point in their eyes. (Which is admittedly, pretty missed in terms of animation nowadays) I almost feel bad for everyone who tried this hard on what was such a flawed idea from the start. But at least some of these people went on to do much better things.
By the 1980s, that feels...yeah, they were really riding Disney's coattails. Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty...some other ones...
Don't get me wrong. I do have a soft spot for this movie...but I personally think Filmation's "Journey Back To Oz" was honestly the best movie they produced.
@@cartooncritique6625 I think I've seen clips or even a review of that, but for me, it's easily Happily Ever After, their last film. I don't think I really knew what Filmation was until later, or I didn't pay enough attention. Much of my early childhood was VHS stuff, not really as much TV, so that could explain it
I honestly like the Emperor of the Night as a concept for a Pinocchio Villain. Sort of a demonic opposite of the Blue Fairy who wants to dwindle her power and take peoples freedom via temptation. Only problem is he's killed way too easily! The story and by extension the movie's aren't about defeating evil, but being headstrong and improving yourself in spite of overwhelming odds. I think it would've have been cooler if he was defeated but not ultimately destroyed...still able to cause harm but with less power than he had before.
When I was a kid this was the Pinocchio movie I had and I was wildly confused when other people would describe the story because it wasn’t even close to sounding right
It's always amusing to me that they went through the trouble to make the bug companion a wooden "GLOW BUG" instead of a cricket and then thumbed their noses at Disney by naming him "Gee Willikers," another exclamation like "Jiminy Cricket!" :D
@@caucasoidape8838 Another thing that's funny to me is how Don Knotts sort of wavers back and forth between doing an impression of Cliff Edwards' voice from the Disney version and just doing Don Knotts.
My mom recorded it like video to video. And marking of the name on the VHS said "Pinocchio And The Emperor of HELL" so growing up i always thought it was "Emperor of Hell"
Memory unlocked: I had a promotional drinking glass or something for this movie when I was a kid. Seeing the character designs just suddenly dug this up. Woah...
It doesn't happen often, but I absolutely live for companies making sequels to public domain stories that deliberately invoke the Disney feel. It's just fun to get my Noggin working by asking "what if the Disney version went into a completely unexpected direction? What if Pinocchio and Jiminy had a new adventure where they met other puppet people and had to deal with an otherworldly emperor of the night? What if (spoiler alert) Snow White had to learn more about her prince not through mundane conversations but because a spell was cast on him turning him ugly?
21:16 I find the character animation in this movie incredibly entertaining! It demonstrates excellent character acting and smooth, fluid movement. It makes this movie more charming to me.
10:11 I dunno, personally speaking, I'm impressed Scalawag managed to get Pinky a cameo in this movie...before Pinky even existed. ...Oh no, Wabuu and his lineage really DO know how to open time portals, don't they?
Pinocchio's voice actor would also grow up to do the voice of Steve in American Dad. So there's another link to him being in another Seth Macfarlane show.
Just to point out - the other puppets are formerly people. The whole thing, even covered in the speech you play in the video, is that he gets stronger as he takes people's will away. People sign away their freedom to him and become his slaves - his puppets. It's basically a metaphor turned literal. The Emperor grows stronger and he gains new tools he can use as he wishes. as displayed in The Land Where Dreams Come True, he can make his puppets look like normal people. So, based on what we see, clearly Puppetino was a man who signed away his freedom and has been used a a recruitment tool by the Emperor. As for why the fairy godmother never does anything? Eh, that's somewhat standard narrative tropes TBH. If we're having a story about a battle for a soul, the forces of good usually trust the soul to do the right thing without intervention unless absolutely necessary.
So this video just solved a 30+ year mystery for me! I distinctly remember being at the YMCA kid babysitting room (my mom swam and taught swim lessons) when I was probably around preschool age, I'm guessing 1990. Eventually I stopped playing with the toys and went over to the little TV area, and the movie they had playing was clearly a version of Pinocchio. The part I walked in on was the scene where Pinocchio sees Geppetto captured and chooses to sign his life away. And let me tell you, as a very little kid not expecting to see something that intense, that scene out of context was especially horrifying, especially adding in the Emperor character. And in my memory, I swear I remember him actually turning back into a lifeless puppet and his little girl puppet friend crying. So now in my late 30s, I saw you were going to be covering a non-Disney Pinocchio movie from the 80s and I wondered if I was finally going to learn what happened at the end of the movie from the Y. Sure enough, it was absolutely this movie. Thanks for inadvertently helping me solve this childhood mystery!
I’ve beeen waiting forever for Someone to talk about this film. That pino turning back into a puppet scene traumatized me as a kid. Seeing it now years later … it’s still kinda messed up, luckily it’s now replaced with You’re a Star being stuck in my head FOREVER. Damn you Kid Creole
Kinda interesting that whatever it was Pinocchio drank, he managed to be less tripped out then Grumble Bee. Guess even The Emperor shows more concern about Alcohol poisoning then the bugs do.
Okay, that thing at the end where Pinocchio promises he won't fall for this same trap a third time, and then his nose starts growing again, that was kinda funny
We had this on VHS when I was a kid and I watched the heck out of it. My family was poor so my mother tried her best and got many off brand and non-Disney movies for us. I recently found this one on RUclips and rewatched it for nostalgia, it was a trip for sure! All I vividly remembered was the sparkling, dancing ladies and the creepy Puppetino
Honestly, I have a soft spot for this movie. It terrified me as a kid, especially the Emperor. I like how strange and dark it is at times. And that it even exists. That being said, Disney’s Pinocchio is one of my favorite movies of all time. But I do still enjoy this odd Filmation production. I can’t really explain why. Thanks for another great episode, Phelan!
While I did not grow up this movie, I'd imagine the sequence of Puppetino transforming Pinocchio back into a wooden puppet would have scared the gee willikers out of me as a kid, especially the moment he loses his voice. I can imagine the whole nipped bud scene with Gee Willikers and Grumblebee is kind meant to be of a sort-of reference to Don Knotts' Barney Fife's "Nip it in the bud." I kind of read Pinocchio's nose growing near the end is kind of just the writers way of justifying him going through the same beats in the film... because he's terrible at learning his lessons.
I forget how old I was, but oddly that sequence rang much more chilling as a young adult than when I was...8-10 years old and we rented it from the library
@@ToHoldNothingI can watch through more adult horror media reviews without worrying about being terrified than with kids' media that Phelous shows off. I still have nightmares or paranoid thoughts about the creature from the Britannica Hansel & Gretel. video
@@BigAmericanGirlFanTo be fair, some of the stuff Phelous covered was pretty messed up, like Turistas with the guy getting his freaking leg amputated, while Phelous laughed maniacally
@ToHoldNothing True. But it's more that things intended for children can be just as unintentionally scary to adults as much as to children. Creepy eyes are the biggest thing for me no matter who the audience of the media is. Children's media has to rely on those kinds of scares more than adult oriented media that can use violence or gore as part of its scares.
This wasn't even the first "unofficial Pinocchio sequel animated movie". There was an earlier one in the 60s called Pinocchio in Outer Space that involved a talking alien turtle with a space ship and Pinocchio learning hypnotism to stop a giant flying space whale. I kid you not, I'm pretty sure it's on RUclips. Might make for good review fodder.
18:21 Fun fact if a bee comes home drunk they’re exiled from the colony and even crippled for life to prevent them from returning Just thought you might appreciate the idea of that happening to this character
I mean, the power struggle between higher beings of Emperor of the Night and Blue Fairy Godmother on the grander scale where Pinocchio is just a puppet of their power games is an interesting concept. I wish it would have a more cohesive movie to explore it though.
I will say this, making an actual redemption arc for the raccoon and monkey, and not just tacking it on at the last second or making them disappear with no real ending like the Disney version, gives the movie a few originality points from me.
Man, ain't we one step away from Filmation's final pseudo Disney sequel and movie in general, Happily Ever After, formerly known as Snow White and the Land of Doom? The latter of which is pretty fitting for them.
At one point point, I wanted to do a review video of this movie. The one gag I remember having planned out was for the part when they go to Bugburgh. ME: And what are we doin' in Bugburgh? *Cut to clip of Honest John from Disney's "Pinocchio."* HONEST JOHN: Ho-ho-ho! We're wasting precious time!
23:07 Good thing you brought up that clip because the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that at one point during the making of the remake, they were going to show the kids drinking regular beer, but Disney chickened out at the last minute quickly slapped on some new CGI text and put in some ADR of the kids saying root beer.
As always, Phelan giving voices to the background characters of these kind of animated movies never fails to give me a good laugh! XD And the "instant depressing ending" bit! Never gets old!
I recall coming across this by chance online, and seeing RebelTaxi posting a pic of an animation cel of the nightmare fuel scene with the Emperor's hands changing into monsters asking about its source on his Tumblr. This is a bizarre movie, but it's honestly got effort and I enjoyed it. 😊
The organ grinder scene scared the shit out of me as a child, and I LOVED it. Stepping back as an adult, I feel like I can argue for this movie being a solid B or C+. My review for both the music and the animation is: “it’s not Disney but you clearly tried.” I like Pinocchio’s bad trip on green soda and the “running through doors” chase, which both allowed the animators to just kind of go nuts. Points deducted for literally every second Grumblebee is on-screen.
This movie rocks, and you can watch the whole thing on RUclips for free. I saw it once on tv as a kid, and never remembered the title. Only rediscovered it a couple years ago.
Always nice to see a new animation review from Phelous. I mean I enjoy all the videos but the animated movie ones are always my favorites. I appreciate the incredible amount of background information in them about both the work itself as well as the company, it's always fascinating and a level of detail most reviewers don't go into.
hahaha... unintentional pause frame at 9:46 and it looks like he is either disappointed or annoyed that the "legally distinct cricket" was his present.
I was hoping you’d cover the Filmation “sequels” one day. I’m especially excited for Happily Ever After with Snow White because I actually grew up with that movie. It’s not as much of a retread of the first story like Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night is, but it does make some “interesting” choices…
This was really nostalgic. I remember getting hyped up by the trailers to see the cool Emperor of the Night only to check it out and realize he's barely in it. I do believe if we had more of him and, consequentely, more of the dark stuff, this could be quite a cult film - even if you keep some of the dumber elements. Also, looking forward to your eventual review of Happy Ever After. As I kid, I really loved that one.
It should be noted that while Filmation won the case against Disney it did screw them over in the long run. The time and money they spent fighting Disney over Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After ended up costing them more than they could afford, even though they technically legally won.
On the subject of the little puppet girl (Twinkle?! ugh) I always thought that a good sequel-ish idea for Pinocchio would be him meeting Olympia/Coppelia, from Hoffmann's "The Sandman" (or the Coppelia ballet.) She's an automaton girl made by an evil inventor to look human. There are a ton of ways you could play that: you could go with a classic love story where she becomes real too, or have the inventor try to figure out how Pinocchio came to life to bring _her_ to life, or have Pinocchio be the only person who sees something "off" about her. I just think it'd be interesting.
I had a concept somewhere with Twinkle being more involved in the story here, being a child turned into a puppet, inverting Pinocchio's progress. And Pinocchio being arrogant instead of just stupid would've at least allowed for some change, while throwing in more stuff with regards to naivete about those who promise you fame and wealth, upgrading it to people puffing you up as if you're better than you actually are
@ToHoldNothing Great ideas! I'd like to build on them, if that's okay. Being a human-turned-puppet would make Twinkle a sort of "shadow" or foil to Pinocchio, which is a common but powerful literary device. It would really highlight how Pinocchio has changed since his first journey, but unfortunately, he hasn’t really changed at all since he's making the same mistakes. However, you're right; Twinkle once being human definitely makes the most sense here. I usually imagine that Pinocchio would be humbled by his experiences, but I can also see him becoming arrogant about being the only puppet-turned-human ever! I think it'd work better in a different story, not "Emperor of the Night." If Pinocchio were wiser than other children because of his past experiences, he could easily be blinded by his own arrogance.
@@ShayLaLaLooHoo The thing I thought of is that the material is enough to make a small TV series, like 8-10 episodes. Tell the Pinocchio story generally, then add twists like how the Blue Fairy and Emperor of the Night are at war for souls or such Naivete would be his first struggle, but arrogance at being told how special he is would be a logical progression.
I’ve always thought that Twinkle was so bland looking. If she’s supposed to be “the world’s most beautiful puppet” then I would hate to see what the ugliest puppet looks like.
When you realized Filmation put more effort in their Pinocchio sequel than the Disney Live Action version of Pinocchio.
Filmation also ever created Snow White movie, where the evil queen has been defeated and her brother trying to do a revenge toward snow white and the prince. The concept is very fantastic at least, and Disney possibly cannot create the same, especially by the fact if Snow White here can give serious defense toward the villain plus she was accompanied by all female dwarves with special power (nah, pretty perfect for modern audience)
wait... Disney put effort into a remake? when did that happen?
Niiiiiiiiiiiice lol
Keep forgetting that existed.
I could have agreed more on you. In fact, I still own it on a VHS tape during my time as I was 2 years old. I still love it very much even to this day.
My legally distinct conscience is telling me I shouldn't trick people into thinking my public domain-based movie is affiliated with Disney
I saw this in theaters. The film broke halfway through. When they got it working, it jumped to the end and made no sense. A great childhood memory.
That's not saying very much when the movie never made any sense to begin with.
When I think about it, the idea of Pinnochio falling in love with another puppet and risking losing his humanity for her might have been enough to carry a whole film just Twinkle another living puppet (and, you know, an actual character), and focus most of the story on that.
If that's not involved, have the Night Emperor story as well. Except, make him The Coachman's true form, and make turning kids into puppets his new racket. It would still be a repeat of the Pleasure Island plot, but it would at least connect more to the original story, and it would be cathartic to give the book/films vilest character some actual comeuppance.
It could be interesting if Puppettino was villain's ventriloquist doll, maybe the whole puppet show is a ruse to make Pinocchio feel sympathy for Twinkle. Maybe he's weaker than the fairy and can't really create life, and that's why he needs Pinocchio to willingly give away the fairy magic of becoming a human. Then the villain can bring his army of the night to life or whatever.
I agree. I saw the original Pinnochio on video decades ago, and the Coachman scared the you-know-what out of me! I would have liked to have seen some comeuppance for that character. I also felt bad for those boys turned into donkeys (who had essentially been left to their fates).
The Emperor of the Night feels like a villain who belongs in a much better movie - one that actually cared about reaching his badass potential.
the films not horrible an the bastard is shown off a lot even with short time-frame
He looks like belongs in one of those unbelievably dark early anime movies, like Unico.
There's a trope called Vile Villain, Saccharine Show.
@@jasonseipler2665 he would fit into a 80s to 90s OVA
too bad they already made that live action nearly 2 years ago
Pinnochio: *I'm Blue, now prepare to da ba dee da ba die!*
I’m thinking that the Emperor can turn people into puppets but Pinocchio is the only puppet that became human. Basically, the devil collecting souls and Pinocchio’s soul is special since he had to ‘earn it’ instead of being born with one. Or something.
Yeah, that's basically it.
Since Pinocchio was originally a lifeless puppet that then became a real boy, that does make him a "special case" in the eyes of the Emperor.
Would be nice if that were in the movie itself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad idea.
@@n.j.hanson4267 The Emperor alludes to it without going into a monologue.
Yeah, I can see why they danced around the idea since that was really dark already without spelling it into little kids faces they’re looking at imprisoned souls in hell.
The dark elements were scary enough with just the implications. Which is why I loved this movie. 😄
Now I kind of want to make some tabletop campaign where the fiends are interested on some robot because the robot seems to posses a emergent soul.
I love how the Blue...Fairy Godmother always sounds like she's on the verge of nodding off XD
just like a proper mommy
That's just how Rickie Lee Jones sounds.
“Pinocchio, you poor dummy.”
The perfect title for a sequel.
**REDD FOX INTENSIFIES**
Well what do you expect from the kid? He’s a literal blockhead whenever he’s a puppet!
He’s poor because Geppetto doesn’t have a bank account
Pinocchio, The Boy Who Never Learned Anything.
As Cid the crashtest dummy would say: "Who's a dummy now?!"
the animation's not bad rly, i love how the emperor is animated
why even say this dude
The talking animation was - more than good- it showed up more personality to the characters. Which is not like filmation at all. I bet the 10million budget- 9 went to animate the mouths.
@@davidsantiago-bonilla3442 I adore seeing moments like our boy when telling lies an when he starts to crawl out the window is self disappointment
@@senritsujumpsuit6021I mean it’s a compliment 🤷♀️
Bat hero - Ms blue fairy please make me a real hero. Blue fairy - that's beyond my power. * Sad bat hero noises*
Why is the blue fairy/Godmother so hot in this one? I mean look at her. Her voice, the hair.. Oh lord..
@@scottylewis8124 Because she's so blue
@@BagOfMagicFood *Blue da ba dee da ba die*
@@scottylewis8124 She reminds me of Queen Frostine from Candy Land.
Coachman from the Disney film: I’m the scariest character and thing in Pinnochio
Filmmation: hold my wood
Phelous: INAPPROPRIATE!
Coachman: "Uuuuuuuuuuummm, you wanna rephrase that?"
Filmation: "We're Filmation. We know exactly what we said."
Your telling me,couchman from the Disney film pinocchio is the scariest character ever and his makes his face real evil and scary.
Huh uh uh uh, you said wood.
You make a movie with people in it.
Disney: STOP! We made a movie with people in it last year! We’ll take you to court!
I mean... they kinda had a legitimate reason here... and with the movie Filmation made afterwards.
I mean it’s a different story when that movie is basically trying to capitalize on their version.
See also how they reacted to Ferngulley existing. Attempted to snipe its talent, bought out the places they were animating and recording at to kick them out, and numerous other shady things.
How ironic your profile picture is a Disney IP property tho..😂😅
@@RoninCatholicThat was Katzenberg fault
The ultimate weakness of the Emperor of the Night: blue light! He uses his phone too much before bed, you see.
The Emperor needs a blue light filter on his phone. Considering this was before blue LED's were a thing, that says a lot.
@@QJ89 He has a CRT display on his phone. It's a bit cumbersome.
I wish Filmation went full-on creepy like this movie did more often.
My favorite part of this movie is that they wasted a massive chunk of its runtime trying to set up a Smurfs-like bug society that we never saw again because Filmation shut down.
wasted no no no it was very nice lore bones for fanfics an fanart which we can make happen take to Twitter, Wattpad ETC an everyone go go go
It gets legitimately sad when you find out it actually got VERY far in production - being sold to stations and even having a couple episodes outright finished - but it just got abruptly plugged because the entire studio was unceremoniously closed upon buyout. There's an account from one person who was there when it happened.
@@senritsujumpsuit6021Are you high? WTF is your comment?
@@jlev1028 all it said was that the worldbuilding is nice for fanfics an art
Glo Friends?
There was a Japanese series about Pinocchio in which during his misadventures he comes across a river with magic water which he hopes would turn him into a real boy, but instead it makes him regress back into a tree. Also, there was an episode where Pinocchio, Jepetto and a random girl end up at a deserted island where they meet freaking Devil himself.
Traumatized me a lot back then.
Mock of the Oak tree that is!
@@SlapstickGenius23 Yup, that one.
Also one time people tell him he can't be a real boy, bc he has no heart, so he attemots to carve another boy's heart out with a chisel (in his defense, said boy was suic*dal and Pinocchio thought he was doing him a favor)
Only watched about 2 episodes on HBO, but loved it as a kid. Loved it when I rediscovered it on YT here. Pinocchio like Peter Pan is perfect for serial adaption since author didn't have anything planned after the Money Tree part so it's just random adventures.
Obligatory anime Pinnochio being crucified. Oh Japan: i.imgur.com/bqTlpm4.png
Rip To The Legend James Earl Jones Who Did Voices For Mufasa, Darth Vader And The Emperor Of The Night
He was also the narrator in golden books’ Beauty and the Beast, I think
don't forget Omadan from Flight of Dragons
Between this, Care Bears, and Last Unicorn... I'm beginning to develop a carnival phobia.
nah what child would not wanna be put into bondage under a Tent
I mean can you even call Mama Fortuna’s glorified zoo a carnival?
You may not like “Something wicked this way comes”, then.
@@DwarfDaddy Hey, they had a juggler!
“We’re Back” really reinforced that fear a decade later.
I'm not sure where that comment was posted, but a former Filmation animator, who worked on these last couple fairy tale movies they made to try and piggyback off the earlier work from a certain house of rodent, had corroborated the stories of how Disney lawyers would walk up and down the halls of the Filmation animation studio, glancing into the cubicles of animators and making sure each line on the drawing tables didn't resemble something from those old cartoons. Anyways, this movie will forever be cemented in my head as one of the scariest things ever made for kids. Decently animated by Filmation standards, though.
I think that was Musical Hell's review of this same movie.
@@TommyDeonauthsArchives Definitely Musical Hell’s review. I think the guy said that he had just been hired and assigned to the movie and he had a hand in one of the bigger scenes.
Man, the Emperor of the Night has a great design. His vibe reminds me of Tirek from the first My Little Pony special (Rescue at Midnight Castle). Although he's a little more melodramatic. The color contrast between the Emperor of the Night and the Blue Fairy reminds me of the Red Bull and the unicorn in The Last Unicorn (1982).
Glad to know the geniuses behind Christmas skeletor got to do a sequel to Pinocchio.
What really gets me about this film is the fact Filmation was so confident that this was gonna be a huge new age for them, as they were planning no fewer than *11* of these 'New Classics" (as the line was called) and were hyping it up in the press as early as 1984 - and this one in particular seemed to really get a big rollout; at least one existing press kit even claiming it will make you "laugh", "cry", "sing", "dance", "stand up and cheer" in the opening credits.
And for what it's worth, this IS probably the best-animated project the studio ever did; and they definitely took pride in the talent they had considering the credits were like 85% visual-related, along with "Made Entirely in the USA" being a selling point in their eyes. (Which is admittedly, pretty missed in terms of animation nowadays)
I almost feel bad for everyone who tried this hard on what was such a flawed idea from the start. But at least some of these people went on to do much better things.
By the 1980s, that feels...yeah, they were really riding Disney's coattails. Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty...some other ones...
Don't get me wrong. I do have a soft spot for this movie...but I personally think Filmation's "Journey Back To Oz" was honestly the best movie they produced.
@@cartooncritique6625 I think I've seen clips or even a review of that, but for me, it's easily Happily Ever After, their last film.
I don't think I really knew what Filmation was until later, or I didn't pay enough attention. Much of my early childhood was VHS stuff, not really as much TV, so that could explain it
Filmation should've just stick to Saturday morning cartoons
Once Pinocchio became a real boy, he grew up to become Grunyon and now works for Snow White and Snow White Junior.
I remember the Pinocchio turning back into a puppet scene was traumatizing for many kids back in the day :0
It’s even scarier because it’s a nightmare situation where you’re going BACK to where you escaped from.
That’s the worst kind of nightmare.
back in the day where a film can easily tell you a child was nearly put into slavery right after said child was horrifically abducted
Watched this movie and that scene when I was 3. It gave me my first ever known nightmare.
Scott Grimes first voice role was sure terrifying huh??
He ain’t lying… that animation is crispy af.
I honestly like the Emperor of the Night as a concept for a Pinocchio Villain. Sort of a demonic opposite of the Blue Fairy who wants to dwindle her power and take peoples freedom via temptation. Only problem is he's killed way too easily!
The story and by extension the movie's aren't about defeating evil, but being headstrong and improving yourself in spite of overwhelming odds. I think it would've have been cooler if he was defeated but not ultimately destroyed...still able to cause harm but with less power than he had before.
When I was a kid this was the Pinocchio movie I had and I was wildly confused when other people would describe the story because it wasn’t even close to sounding right
It's always amusing to me that they went through the trouble to make the bug companion a wooden "GLOW BUG" instead of a cricket and then thumbed their noses at Disney by naming him "Gee Willikers," another exclamation like "Jiminy Cricket!" :D
I love how Pinocchio starts to tell him no about it
Did they really have to give him the same kind of voice?
who cares @@caucasoidape8838
Especially since the cricket was in the book, so that was not the part they had to worry about
@@caucasoidape8838 Another thing that's funny to me is how Don Knotts sort of wavers back and forth between doing an impression of Cliff Edwards' voice from the Disney version and just doing Don Knotts.
My mom recorded it like video to video. And marking of the name on the VHS said "Pinocchio And The Emperor of HELL" so growing up i always thought it was "Emperor of Hell"
Memory unlocked: I had a promotional drinking glass or something for this movie when I was a kid. Seeing the character designs just suddenly dug this up. Woah...
Me too.
I looked up this movie since I am Gen z, was it the one on worthpoint?? Cause I found a cup for that movie on there, it was from Jack in the box…
@@Sydyoon09 Yes! That was the one! The one where he's meeting Scalawag and Igor. I remember all that text on the back now.
It doesn't happen often, but I absolutely live for companies making sequels to public domain stories that deliberately invoke the Disney feel.
It's just fun to get my Noggin working by asking "what if the Disney version went into a completely unexpected direction? What if Pinocchio and Jiminy had a new adventure where they met other puppet people and had to deal with an otherworldly emperor of the night? What if (spoiler alert) Snow White had to learn more about her prince not through mundane conversations but because a spell was cast on him turning him ugly?
The Emperor of the Night is such a cool character, he is def where all the budget went too for the movie
21:16 I find the character animation in this movie incredibly entertaining! It demonstrates excellent character acting and smooth, fluid movement. It makes this movie more charming to me.
Can never get enough of that Pino-C. He's such a gangster.
The album he did with G-Willikers is a banger.
10:11 I dunno, personally speaking, I'm impressed Scalawag managed to get Pinky a cameo in this movie...before Pinky even existed.
...Oh no, Wabuu and his lineage really DO know how to open time portals, don't they?
I love how every raccoon is just spiritually Wabuu at this point. Showcasing they are truly the superior animal.
Pinocchio's voice actor would also grow up to do the voice of Steve in American Dad. So there's another link to him being in another Seth Macfarlane show.
And in that show Scott shows he can sing, how Steve is still single with the pipes of an angel I'll never know.
Scott Grimes will always be best known as the genius who sang the banger "Daddy's Gone"
26:30 This bit of the emperor of the night doing the rainbow thing needs to be a meme. It's amazing.
SpongeBob did this years later lmao😂😂
Just to point out - the other puppets are formerly people. The whole thing, even covered in the speech you play in the video, is that he gets stronger as he takes people's will away. People sign away their freedom to him and become his slaves - his puppets. It's basically a metaphor turned literal. The Emperor grows stronger and he gains new tools he can use as he wishes.
as displayed in The Land Where Dreams Come True, he can make his puppets look like normal people. So, based on what we see, clearly Puppetino was a man who signed away his freedom and has been used a a recruitment tool by the Emperor.
As for why the fairy godmother never does anything? Eh, that's somewhat standard narrative tropes TBH. If we're having a story about a battle for a soul, the forces of good usually trust the soul to do the right thing without intervention unless absolutely necessary.
So this video just solved a 30+ year mystery for me! I distinctly remember being at the YMCA kid babysitting room (my mom swam and taught swim lessons) when I was probably around preschool age, I'm guessing 1990. Eventually I stopped playing with the toys and went over to the little TV area, and the movie they had playing was clearly a version of Pinocchio. The part I walked in on was the scene where Pinocchio sees Geppetto captured and chooses to sign his life away. And let me tell you, as a very little kid not expecting to see something that intense, that scene out of context was especially horrifying, especially adding in the Emperor character. And in my memory, I swear I remember him actually turning back into a lifeless puppet and his little girl puppet friend crying. So now in my late 30s, I saw you were going to be covering a non-Disney Pinocchio movie from the 80s and I wondered if I was finally going to learn what happened at the end of the movie from the Y. Sure enough, it was absolutely this movie. Thanks for inadvertently helping me solve this childhood mystery!
so in revenge, Disney cribbed off Grumblebee's design for Monterey Jack, eh? lol
Would not have guessed that Jack and Pinky originated from this movie
😂ok that was perfect 👍
Gee , I wonder why the Jiminy Knock-off and Drunk Army Bee Show never took off. Definitely was Filmation's collapse, no other reason😊
To this day, I'll never get over the fact that Pinnochio here is voiced by the actor who's Steve in American Dad....
Me too😂😂
@@Sydyoon09 , I remember seeing someone make an edit where Pinocchio is voicing Steve’s lines. One of them being,
“Is it weird that I have a boner?!”
@@osmanyousif7849 is there a link to that?? When did Steve say that??
I’ve beeen waiting forever for Someone to talk about this film. That pino turning back into a puppet scene traumatized me as a kid. Seeing it now years later … it’s still kinda messed up, luckily it’s now replaced with You’re a Star being stuck in my head FOREVER. Damn you Kid Creole
Wish Jessii Vee could talk about this movie and title it “the Pinocchio sequel you’ve never heard of”
Kinda interesting that whatever it was Pinocchio drank, he managed to be less tripped out then Grumble Bee.
Guess even The Emperor shows more concern about Alcohol poisoning then the bugs do.
I think Grumble is more of a long term alcoholic and it’s messed with his brain
Okay, that thing at the end where Pinocchio promises he won't fall for this same trap a third time, and then his nose starts growing again, that was kinda funny
We had this on VHS when I was a kid and I watched the heck out of it. My family was poor so my mother tried her best and got many off brand and non-Disney movies for us. I recently found this one on RUclips and rewatched it for nostalgia, it was a trip for sure! All I vividly remembered was the sparkling, dancing ladies and the creepy Puppetino
Well after seeing this again, RIP James Earl Jones :(
2023-2024 Was the Pinocchio era of Phelous
Not necessarily there are still lots that he hasn’t covered yet
The Emperor forgot to include a No Take-Backs clause in the contract.
80s 90s movies hit differently. They felt dark, creative, strange and wondrous, like a true fairy tale.
Yeah, todays cartoons are too "safe", they dont allow for that sort of creative craziness.
@@bloodrunsclearum you know it’s meant to be a homage to earlier Disney movies right?😅 and that’s incredibly harsh 😣
Honestly, I have a soft spot for this movie. It terrified me as a kid, especially the Emperor. I like how strange and dark it is at times. And that it even exists.
That being said, Disney’s Pinocchio is one of my favorite movies of all time.
But I do still enjoy this odd Filmation production. I can’t really explain why.
Thanks for another great episode, Phelan!
"Having wood was your problem last time!" LOL ROTFLOL.
While I did not grow up this movie, I'd imagine the sequence of Puppetino transforming Pinocchio back into a wooden puppet would have scared the gee willikers out of me as a kid, especially the moment he loses his voice.
I can imagine the whole nipped bud scene with Gee Willikers and Grumblebee is kind meant to be of a sort-of reference to Don Knotts' Barney Fife's "Nip it in the bud."
I kind of read Pinocchio's nose growing near the end is kind of just the writers way of justifying him going through the same beats in the film... because he's terrible at learning his lessons.
I forget how old I was, but oddly that sequence rang much more chilling as a young adult than when I was...8-10 years old and we rented it from the library
@@ToHoldNothingI can watch through more adult horror media reviews without worrying about being terrified than with kids' media that Phelous shows off. I still have nightmares or paranoid thoughts about the creature from the Britannica Hansel & Gretel. video
@@BigAmericanGirlFanTo be fair, some of the stuff Phelous covered was pretty messed up, like Turistas with the guy getting his freaking leg amputated, while Phelous laughed maniacally
@ToHoldNothing True. But it's more that things intended for children can be just as unintentionally scary to adults as much as to children. Creepy eyes are the biggest thing for me no matter who the audience of the media is. Children's media has to rely on those kinds of scares more than adult oriented media that can use violence or gore as part of its scares.
Scott Grimes is also the voice of Steve Smith from American Dad. and was in the Critter movies.
I appreciate your restraint on relying on too many Darth Vader audio clips. I was half expecting when the Emperor dies you'd throw in a "noooooo".
I remember when Mickey Rourke kept saying gee willikers when they were trying to save the Radioactive Man movie.
This wasn't even the first "unofficial Pinocchio sequel animated movie". There was an earlier one in the 60s called Pinocchio in Outer Space that involved a talking alien turtle with a space ship and Pinocchio learning hypnotism to stop a giant flying space whale. I kid you not, I'm pretty sure it's on RUclips. Might make for good review fodder.
Funny thing about that version is that it had involvement from Norm Prescott who was the co-founder of Filmation
18:21
Fun fact if a bee comes home drunk they’re exiled from the colony and even crippled for life to prevent them from returning
Just thought you might appreciate the idea of that happening to this character
How have I never put it together that Darth Vader and Mufasa share the same voice actor!?
You must avenge me, Kimba-i mean, Simba
@@collaterale1"Luke, I am your father"
"This is CNN"
I mean, the power struggle between higher beings of Emperor of the Night and Blue Fairy Godmother on the grander scale where Pinocchio is just a puppet of their power games is an interesting concept. I wish it would have a more cohesive movie to explore it though.
James Earl Jones never gave a bad performance
7:19- DREW CAAAAAREEEEEY! DREW CAAAAAREEEEEY
I still only hear “Clefaaaaaaaaaairy! Clefairy!”
I thought he said ”who care-y” at first
I’m so glad you tackled this movie! The puppet transformation scene chills me to the core even as an adult.
Rip James Earl Jones.
I will say this, making an actual redemption arc for the raccoon and monkey, and not just tacking it on at the last second or making them disappear with no real ending like the Disney version, gives the movie a few originality points from me.
Man, ain't we one step away from Filmation's final pseudo Disney sequel and movie in general, Happily Ever After, formerly known as Snow White and the Land of Doom? The latter of which is pretty fitting for them.
At one point point, I wanted to do a review video of this movie. The one gag I remember having planned out was for the part when they go to Bugburgh.
ME: And what are we doin' in Bugburgh?
*Cut to clip of Honest John from Disney's "Pinocchio."*
HONEST JOHN: Ho-ho-ho! We're wasting precious time!
Okay, that is pretty good. 😂
Pinocchio I am your father!
No, THATS NOT TRUE,… THATS IMPOSSIBLE!!!
@@norbertovalle7928 You're right. Pinocchio's father Gepetto is his father.
@@norbertovalle7928Search your feelings, you know it to be true!
@@n.j.hanson4267 NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! NO…
"Look inside yourself Pinocchio, you are more then what you have become"
6:30
Geppetto: "unfortunately they got turned into donkeys along the way"
Rest in peace, James.
Honestly the graphic novel, "Pinocchio Vampire Slayer" is a superior Pinocchio "sequel"
put that an this movie into a crossover story an we will have beauty upon all else
@@senritsujumpsuit6021 Facts
If it doesn't have him weaponize his lying by using it as a stake I will be disappointed.
@@LadyJuseIt really does, though the story makes no sense considering it takes place after the original book where Pinocchio became a real boy.
What story can't be improved by vampire slaying?
23:07 Good thing you brought up that clip because the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that at one point during the making of the remake, they were going to show the kids drinking regular beer, but Disney chickened out at the last minute quickly slapped on some new CGI text and put in some ADR of the kids saying root beer.
As always, Phelan giving voices to the background characters of these kind of animated movies never fails to give me a good laugh! XD
And the "instant depressing ending" bit! Never gets old!
I remember being traumatized by the movie as child. Good to know it was a real movie and not a fever dream.
1:26 "Ed Asner as Wabuu" 🤣
I recall coming across this by chance online, and seeing RebelTaxi posting a pic of an animation cel of the nightmare fuel scene with the Emperor's hands changing into monsters asking about its source on his Tumblr.
This is a bizarre movie, but it's honestly got effort and I enjoyed it. 😊
Filmation was pretty creative (if only the cool villian had more screen time 😅) and then Pinocchio goes super saiyan blue or something 😂
Someone take the villains an put them in a TTRPG game the body horror an childhood trauma is vast
The organ grinder scene scared the shit out of me as a child, and I LOVED it. Stepping back as an adult, I feel like I can argue for this movie being a solid B or C+. My review for both the music and the animation is: “it’s not Disney but you clearly tried.” I like Pinocchio’s bad trip on green soda and the “running through doors” chase, which both allowed the animators to just kind of go nuts.
Points deducted for literally every second Grumblebee is on-screen.
This movie rocks, and you can watch the whole thing on RUclips for free. I saw it once on tv as a kid, and never remembered the title. Only rediscovered it a couple years ago.
That Mortal Kombat Konquest reference is such a nostalgia trip
7:12 Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!
So you heard it too?
I kept wondering why Phelan wasn't mentioning Tim Curry as Puppetino, and then I went to IMDB and realized that's not even Tim Curry.
Nice subtle reference to James Rolfe at the end there. 😁
Always nice to see a new animation review from Phelous. I mean I enjoy all the videos but the animated movie ones are always my favorites. I appreciate the incredible amount of background information in them about both the work itself as well as the company, it's always fascinating and a level of detail most reviewers don't go into.
hahaha... unintentional pause frame at 9:46 and it looks like he is either disappointed or annoyed that the "legally distinct cricket" was his present.
It's great to see Phelous take a break from Dingo, Good Times, and Golden Films with a "higher quality" FILMATION film.
Really, hope he dives into Mondo World. Those shows are begging for his brand of snark.
Especially the Titanic stuff, including a I kind you not a tv series made from it.
@@brandonlyon730 Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli is an actual good one in their library. Something he could spotlight to mix in with the rest of the crud.
Always love the background history/added context bits that are included in these reviews!
I love how the bees stinger hits the ground but he doesn't die. Instead he is completely fine.
I saw this movie at some point when I was a kid, and didn’t realise it wasn’t a nightmare until now. Not quite sure what’s real anymore…
Hell yeah, NES Sesame Street moon makes a comeback!
The "You're a mean one, Mr. Pinocchio" bit at 8:13 had me laughing so hard
I was hoping you’d cover the Filmation “sequels” one day. I’m especially excited for Happily Ever After with Snow White because I actually grew up with that movie. It’s not as much of a retread of the first story like Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night is, but it does make some “interesting” choices…
This was really nostalgic. I remember getting hyped up by the trailers to see the cool Emperor of the Night only to check it out and realize he's barely in it. I do believe if we had more of him and, consequentely, more of the dark stuff, this could be quite a cult film - even if you keep some of the dumber elements.
Also, looking forward to your eventual review of Happy Ever After. As I kid, I really loved that one.
15:25 I know you've done the bad ending joke a lot of times, but it's perfect every time.
I really love this particular film. It has no right being as good as it is. The songs are catchy too, even if the Fairy Godmother does sound drunk.
It should be noted that while Filmation won the case against Disney it did screw them over in the long run. The time and money they spent fighting Disney over Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After ended up costing them more than they could afford, even though they technically legally won.
On the subject of the little puppet girl (Twinkle?! ugh) I always thought that a good sequel-ish idea for Pinocchio would be him meeting Olympia/Coppelia, from Hoffmann's "The Sandman" (or the Coppelia ballet.) She's an automaton girl made by an evil inventor to look human.
There are a ton of ways you could play that: you could go with a classic love story where she becomes real too, or have the inventor try to figure out how Pinocchio came to life to bring _her_ to life, or have Pinocchio be the only person who sees something "off" about her. I just think it'd be interesting.
I had a concept somewhere with Twinkle being more involved in the story here, being a child turned into a puppet, inverting Pinocchio's progress. And Pinocchio being arrogant instead of just stupid would've at least allowed for some change, while throwing in more stuff with regards to naivete about those who promise you fame and wealth, upgrading it to people puffing you up as if you're better than you actually are
@ToHoldNothing Great ideas! I'd like to build on them, if that's okay.
Being a human-turned-puppet would make Twinkle a sort of "shadow" or foil to Pinocchio, which is a common but powerful literary device. It would really highlight how Pinocchio has changed since his first journey, but unfortunately, he hasn’t really changed at all since he's making the same mistakes. However, you're right; Twinkle once being human definitely makes the most sense here.
I usually imagine that Pinocchio would be humbled by his experiences, but I can also see him becoming arrogant about being the only puppet-turned-human ever! I think it'd work better in a different story, not "Emperor of the Night." If Pinocchio were wiser than other children because of his past experiences, he could easily be blinded by his own arrogance.
@@ShayLaLaLooHoo The thing I thought of is that the material is enough to make a small TV series, like 8-10 episodes. Tell the Pinocchio story generally, then add twists like how the Blue Fairy and Emperor of the Night are at war for souls or such
Naivete would be his first struggle, but arrogance at being told how special he is would be a logical progression.
I’ve always thought that Twinkle was so bland looking. If she’s supposed to be “the world’s most beautiful puppet” then I would hate to see what the ugliest puppet looks like.
@@kenthuang436 The World's Ugliest Puppet is named Donald Trump, for the record.