Synopsis
Geppetto the carpenter carves the object of his hidden desires out of a log: a puppet that will keep him company and will be like a son to him. He will call him Pinocchio.
Imagine his surprise when he discovers that the puppet moves, as if by magic, and is gifted with a life on its own.
Furthermore, the newborn Pinocchio has a temperamental personality and soon tries to impose his liveliness and repressed dynamism on his 'father'.
The Talking Cricket who has been living in the house with Geppetto for a long time decides to take care of the newcomer's education, but with little success...
In fact, Pinocchio immediately starts to do one foolish thing after another, he doesn't listen and he is bad-mannered. Even though he knows that Geppetto and the Talking Cricket try to understand and help him, Pinocchio decides not to go to school, preferring to watch Stromboli's puppet show.
At the theatre, he meets Harlequin, Punch and other puppets before being caught by the terrifying Stromboli and his assistants, the Cat and the Fox; he even runs the risk of being used as firewood.
Being talkative and able to lie easily (even though his nose grows enormously long with every lie!), he manages to get his freedom back. Moreover, Stromboli offers him four gold coins. The Cat and the Fox follow him and try to wangle his money, taking advantage of his stupidity and his ingeniousness. Poor Pinocchio realises too late how dramatic his situation is and tries to escape, but he is caught again and hung to a tree.
The Blue Fairy, a 12-year-old girl who lives in a little house in the woods which is inhabited by strange animals who serve her and play with her, looks after him and tries to convince him to go to school with them and the other children. Pinocchio falls in love with her.
When he goes to school himself, he becomes the victim of the dislike and mockery of a group of children whose boss is Arturo. The Blue Fairy defends Pinocchio, which makes him think she is in love with him too.
His adventures don't end here; he meets the Cat and the Fox again who finally manage to steal his gold coins. Pinocchio ends up in prison where he gets out fortunately, but when he gets back to the Blue Fairy's house, it is closed and empty, just like Geppetto's. The latter left by boat to go looking for his puppet and got shipwrecked in high seas.
Racked by sadness, Pinocchio returns to school, but on the way there he bumps into some schoolfriends who convince him to skip class, wanting to discredit him in the eyes of the teacher. When he realises this, Pinocchio becomes outraged at the mockeries of his schoolmates and attacks one of them, Arturo, who falls to the ground and hurts his head badly.
Pinocchio runs away, scared that he might have killed him and be put back in prison. He flees on the back of a dove, to a faraway port where he meets Lampwick, a boy older than himself who he will leave with to sail to Paradise Island, an enormous amusement park where it is prohibited to study.
However, there is obviously no place on earth where you can only have fun, and Pinocchio realises with bitterness that behind the fool's game, there are actually children who have been transformed into donkeys and forced to work as slaves. Pinocchio himself is a victim of this infamous transformation and has to expose himself in the park circus, where he painfully discovers the little Blue Fairy amid the audience, crying at the sight of what has become of him. Then, he gathers his courage and interrupts his show, trying to get the fairy's attention by yelling.
At that moment, two men seize him, put him in a bag and throw him into the sea to get rid of him. Nevertheless, Pinocchio manages to get out of it, only to be swallowed by a gigantic shark.
In the stomach of the sea monster, he meets Geppetto who lives there, resigned to fall prey to the sharks sooner or later.
Their encounter represents a very emotional moment: their joy brightens the terrible atmosphere in which they are stuck. Geppetto takes Pinocchio in his arms and tells him about his misfortune, in the form of a tale. Pinocchio helps Geppetto (who can't swim) to flee and takes him home safe and sound, redeeming himself for his past disobedience. Exhausted, he faints as soon as he reaches dry land.
When he wakes up, he finds himself lying in his little bed, transformed into a boy of flesh and blood.