Pinocchio (1940 movie)

Pinocchio is a Disney animated feature based on the story Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It was made in response to the enormous success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was the second feature-length animated film to be released by Walt Disney Studios. Considered a classic today, it was not as commerically successful when it was first released on February 23, 1940, and Disney only recouped about half of its $2.3 million budget.

The plan for the original film was considerably different from what was released. Walt Disney was displeased with the work that was being done and called a halt to the project midway into production so that the concept could be rethought and the characters redesigned. It was at this stage that a new character, Jiminy Cricket (played by Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards) was first introduced into the story. His song, "When You Wish Upon a Star," became a major hit and is still identified with the film. Pinocchio also won the Academy Award for Best Song and the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.