Talk to the Schnozz

Well, now that the dust has more or less settled from our discussion of the controversial Blu-ray restoration of William Friedkin's The French Connection, along comes another sure to be disputed digital revamp of a beloved classic.

I refer, of course, to Disney's deluxe new mastered in high-def version of Pinocchio, out today.

Disney was kind enough to send me the Platinum Edition, which has a DVD of the film along with a second disc of Blu-ray bonuses and the Blu-ray film; the bonuses include the usual making-of docs and audio commentaries (does Leonard Maltin ever sleep?), plus a sort of alternate ending that if I told you more about the Disney folks would have to come to my house and kill me. In any case, here's a little clip from the bonus disc to give you an idea.

The bells and whistles aside, however, the ineluctable fact is that the restored Pinocchio -- as seen in either the DVD or Blu-ray versions -- is in many ways a different film than you may remember. It's not simply a question of whether the images are more detailed or the colors brighter -- they are, obviously -- and that the ravages of age afflicting the source material (inevitable with a 70 year old film) have been digitally repaired. What Disney's technicians have done here, instead, is eliminate every vestige of human handicraft or imperfection. Smudging? A frame where the hand-painted color was inconsistent? History. In fact, what they seem to have set out to achieve (successfully) is to present Pinocchio as it might have looked if its creators had been able to to produce it directly in the digital domain without ever having to go through the whole cellulloid thing. It's Pinocchio as CGI, and on that level it's indisputably dazzling. But there's something off about it, something missing, and I don't think I'm necessarily a Luddite film snob if I suggest that it might be heart.

Oh well, like I said, it looks great, and in any case the film as entertainment more than holds up; it's still a hell of a show. Disney has, thoughtfully, made it available in a variety of packages, including a single disc DVD. You can -- and should -- order one of them here and make up your own mind.