It’s hard to imagine that Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio” is celebrating its 70th Anniversary this year. I seem to remember as a kid only celebrating its 30th (which I guess kinda ages me…). Yet even with 70 years of movie making behind it, “Pinocchio” still has all the magic it ever had, whether I’m watching it as an adult or my daughter is watching it as a 5 year old. Together we watched as Geppetto carved his little puppet, without any inkling that he would come to life, run away, and eventually become his real live son. It is a timeless story of magic… which by the way I still fully believe in…, faith and family and if somehow you have never experienced it… shame on you.

I won’t go any deeper into a review of the actual movie, simply because most of you HAVE already seen it. Chances are your parents AND your kids have seen it… so instead I’ll jump ahead and talk a little bit about Disney’s incredible Blu-ray release. Most impressive is the High Definition transfer which blows away any of the DVDs that have been released over the years. If you’re familiar with Blu-ray, you already know what it can offer, and with animated films its even better.

The audio and video are beautiful beyond compare, though you should realize that it still won’t look quite like the Blu-rays for animated films like “Cars” or “Finding Nemo” as those were created in High Definition. “Pinocchio” looks amazing to be sure, but don’t expect that crystal clear ‘real life’ look.

Beyond the actual look of the Blu-ray, the thing that I loved most about the release was that Disney opted to include a DVD version in the same package. They’ve done that recently with some of their ‘kid’s’ films and I applaud the decision. It will take Blu-ray a little time to take over to the point that kids will have Blu-rays in their bedrooms (unless you’re a Rockwall Texas brat…) so having the ability to watch the Blu-ray in your living room or the kids in their rooms without buying both editions is awesome.

Then there’s the matter of special features. I’m all about special features, especially when it comes to some of the older Disney classics. I love learning more about how those films were made considering the artists did not get to rely on a computer screen. We’re talking individual frames, hand drawn. It still amazes me to this day what they could create.

Being that this is primarily a Blu-ray release, the special features add up to hours (if you include the various ways you can watch the movie). As the film’s original ratio delivers it in a full screen mode, there are black bars on each side of the image. Alternatively you can choose Disney View – which utilizes full color artwork to fill the screen to both sides of the screen. The idea was sound, but admittedly it didn’t really work for me as these images were static even when the main picture was moving.

You can also check out the commentary a couple of different ways. You can go for the normal audio commentary track, or you can choose Cine-Explore, which uses pop up screens to show the viewer images that correspond with the speaker’s commentary. This is a feature I really enjoyed. There is also a secondary pop-up video feature with written facts about the movie. Lastly, there is a sing-a-long mode that allows you to… well… sing along with the songs!

The first disc has all of this plus a music video of Meaghan Jette Morgan (can those first two names be spelled right??) singing “When You Wish Upon a Star.” It’s a decent version, but you know those young Disney stars. Once you get to the second disc, board up the windows and be prepared to stay in for the night.

First up is an awesome hour long documentary of the making of “Pinocchio”, complete with tons of archive footage. There’s a lot of details shared here and it is well worth the watch. There is also a featurette entitled “The Sweatbox” which shares details about the goings on in the small projection room where Walt Disney and his crew would watch dailies and discuss the rough cuts of the film. It’s short, but sweet. Additionally there is a featurette that shows some live action reference footage that was used.

But no… that’s not all. There are a couple of deleted scenes and an alternate ending that are presented as storyboards, complete with dialogue and music. There’s even a deleted song (“Honest John”), but it does not offer any visuals – only an audio recording. There are no less than eight art galleries loaded with hundreds of production stills, as well as three different theatrical trailers (as were used over the last 70 years).

Finally there is a interesting featurette that focuses on six different toymakers from around the world, all of whom share their love for Geppetto. I say finally, but that’s just when it comes to straight out features. Between the two discs you’ll also find three different games, one of which involves trivia – so you can bet that one was my favorite.

I realize that Disney keeps dipping into the vaults to deliver newer versions of their classic films. But with the advent of Blu-ray, you can’t go wrong with this edition. IThe movie has never looked better. Heck, there’s even that aforementioned third disc that offers the movie on DVD… totally worth the money.

Extras: Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes, Never Before Seen Alternate Ending, Disney View – Expanded Viewing Experience, Cine-Explore Experience, Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge, Pleasure Island Carnival Games, No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio, Audio Commentary by Leonard Maltin, Eric Goldberg and J.B. Kaufman, Geppettos Then and Now
Specifications: 1080p High Definition (1.33:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24-bit)
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 3/10/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
www.DisneyBluray.com

We'll give Pinocchio an A.