Rankin Bass and Pinocchio do have a slight history together. In 1960, there was a stop motion series called "The New Adventures of Pinocchio" which was produced by the company with Dentsu Studios in Japan. It wasn't just that, this was the first thing Rankin and Bass made under their "Animagic" stop motion animation technique. The series had 130 chapters of 5 minutes each, and they made up the episodes of the series making 5 "chapters" each episode to make 25 minutes slots. Rankin-Bass coming back to this in their third to last stop-motion special makes it feel like a homecoming.
Most people associate the character with Disney, because of the highly popular animated movie from the 1940's, though most also know where Disney got the story from. The one thing he's not really associated with is Christmas though. Hey, it works to makes it where it gives you a seasonal reason to watch it and something something. Another thing is that it is interesting to see how this company's take on the character is, compared to the Disney one.
This special first aired on December 3, 1980 on ABC (America's favorite network). It was written by Romeo Muller , like the other specials, music once again by Maury Laws, Voices like Paul Frees show up. How does Pinocchio translate into Christmas? 
This snow doesn't feel very real/ Copyright Warner
The special takes the basic ideas from the story like Pinocchio wants to be a real human child instead of being made of wood. The medium this special is presented in, does give him a wooden marionette like look , which is a nice detail.
This special is kind of interesting from the sense that there's no narrator or host like most of the other specials, this one breaks away from that and just has the story presented to us the viewer. It starts with Pinocchio, voiced by Todd Porter (whom you might know from Starstuff if you're from the Philadelphia area, who is wondering why it's snowing and why a giant tree is being hoisted in the town. Geppetto, voiced by George S. Iriving in a return to Rankin Bass specials after being Heat Mister, explains to the boy (we're using this word because yeah) that it's snow and Christmas is coming. Pinocchio being new never heard of Christmas. (good thing they don't tell the trees)
Now, Pinocchio, just stand there for the season and hold up the wreath/ Copyright Warner
Yes, Pinocchio is already alive at the start of the special, yeah it's straight in there which isn't bad, just something to note. This is also good way to show Pinocchio's naïveté since he's not aware of much of the world which helps what happens to his character through out the special. There's Fox and Cat, so the strangest thing in the town isn't the living toy. Fox, is the leader of the two, Cat plays a dimwitted sidekick. Fox wants Pinocchio because he's the only living marionette and wants to sell him to some rich guy, any rich guy because money. (Look kids, I bought a living marionette from the local talking fox, as one does) Back to them later.
Which one is Fox and which one is Cat? The answer won't surprise you/ Copyright Warner
I have to mention that since this is late Rankin Bass, this means this is their top notch work on stop motion animation, the look of the village is kind of comfy and really gives it a nice feeling and maybe you want to visit, though, I'm not happy with that fox and cat. The songs aren't as memorable as say earlier specials but Laws' work is still good here. I did mention earlier, about how Pinocchio looks, it's still kind of hard to make him look too different to the other wood people, really, good if the boy wasn't wearing shorts to see how his legs looked, it'd be hard for the viewers to tell. The hair helps a little bit too, since his hair way more wood and smooth compared to other characters with more hair-like hair.
We see Geppetto worry about what do for Christmas gifts and the classic lament what to get someone. Then it ends with him then realizing he doesn't have money anyway. (I'm glad his business just going great there) He gives some boots up get some money to buy Pinocchio a gift, this being a math book. (he subtracted his money)
He should have sold that wig, he's not fooling anyone / Copyright Warner
Pinocchio's character in this special is like a young child of course. I mentioned he's kind of naïve, but kind of stubborn and does before thinking as well, or even sometimes tries to justify a wrong decision with how it's a good idea in the long run. So, Pinocchio doesn't like school and doesn't want the math book his father bought him (I guess we're calling Geppetto, father here) so he trades it for money. Oh yeah lying nose thing happens, it's not much but they remembered. Anyway, like I said Pinocchio thinks it was the right thing to do and justifies it by saying he's gonna buy a gift for Geppetto.
I'm just happy to see you/ Copyright Warner
Fox sees that Pinocchio has money, and this sets his fox senses off. Fox tells him that they came from Heaven and an angel spoke them and told them to tell him to plant the coins and a money tree will grow. The boy's innocence plays into this, even though it's a trick. Also "Knock on Wood" is one of the strongest songs in this special.
He meets Mistero Fire-eater (as yeah of Mr. Fire-eater of the Fire-eater family, what?) a puppet master and he wants to make Pinocchio a star. I do like how this character isn't a Villain. He asks Pinocchio if he'd like to join his marionette show, the boy says now, and he's like drat, but fine and there's no scheme or anything to get him. That's nice. Pinocchio believes he's going to have a money tree, but of course he will not.
He sees Fox and Cat the next day takes their story as fact that the tree didn't grow because he played hooky in school and coins are gone because he's bad. He wants to get Geppetto a gift so back to the Fire-eater. "The Let 'em laugh" song is pretty good too, mostly because Alan King's singing it and he's selling it well. Pinocchio meets Julieta, who's not a living marionette, and seems to have an attraction to her or something.
ahhhhhh/ Copyright Warner
So much he gets worried that he's going to shave Julieta bald, make her fat, and make her a Wiseman. He steals the marionette and runs away. Fire-eater wants him arrested, because well stealing is wrong. Again it shows his characterization here as maybe he means well, but is still doing the wrong things.
Pinocchio ends up running off into the Forest of Enchantment (which is a good tourist trap) the forest where Pinocchio was originally from. He tells Julieta about how he started and how he scares a carpenter who decides to be a bad friend and give the spooky wood to Geppetto. (You, should have written this better) Geppetto makes him into a marionette, at least a head first, and he gets spooked by the wood talking to him. So, yes we get the origin story, just later than the start.
If he had varnish near by it'd be different story/ Copyright Warner
We also see how he does some bad things where kids don't want to be around him. Only Fox and Cat want to be around him. They bring in Jiminy Cricket, though he's not mentioned by name. (Just be glad it's not the cricket from the Cricket in the Hearth) Pinocchio even drives him away and now he feels that he's made a big mess of stuff.
Disney can't sue us / Copyright Warner
Geppetto is still looking for Pinocchio. Thanks to the boy doing the show a sleigh guy who works for the duke has sought interest in buying him form the fox. Fire-eater is annoyed that the boy left and is making a fake Pinocchio. This doesn't impress the audience who really wanted to see a living marionette he throws out the fake one and well Geppetto thinks it's the real one who somehow stopped living. It's sad, but we know he's alive.
Fox and Cat find Pinocchio so they can sell him. They give him a story on how he can get Julieta be alive. I like the Fox and Cat song here where they say it's the truth or lightning strikes them and the gag of Cat getting hit by lightning is funny. (Pinocchio apparently doesn't see this)
Lady Azura, who plays the role of the Blue Fairy, shows up and she has Pinocchio and Julieta taken to her fancy castle. The cricket shows up, apparently he worked for her and he recaps what we already saw. Azura wants Pinocchio to tell her the truth, he lies and yeah nose grows, I do like the touch of some leaves at the end eventually.
Good, your nose is decorated/ Copyright Warner
Azura says he's not really bad, just misguided (I guess?) after he tells her the truth she gets a song to tell Pinocchio you don't need fancy money for fancy gifts. He takes the message to his heart and decides to go back to Geppetto, but we have like 13 more minutes left so we things to do.
Fox and Cat find the boy before he can get home and lie to him on more time, so I'm glad he's learned that way. They eventually convivence him to get into a sled by telling him he could help Santa at the North Pole. I do like how Rankin Bass reused the Santa model from "The Year Without a Santa Claus". The dancing song feels like Laws was writing a song in like 5 minutes before they were making the special. The sleigh guy takes him to the Duke, but first a song about Ha Ha Ha ing.
Seek kids, I bought you a replacement father/ Copyright Warner
Then Pinocchio realizes that he wasn't taken to Santa. He's wrapped up in a box and has to wait for the Duke and the Duke's children to open. The duke is father who doesn't spend much time with his kids and is in a hurry to get back to doing whatever the heck he does. The kids aren't really interested in the talking living toy. (eh) Pinocchio tells the father the song we had already, like they are trying to stretch the length here. Anyway, the father has learned his lesson or something and decides to stay home and love his children. Santa shows up to hurry this thing up and gets Pinocchio back home.
I think Rankin Bass did a good story here and somehow incorporating Pinocchio into Christmas shouldn't really work, but they had to work pretty well. Their idea to have it be slightly different to almost all of the other specials and not have some sort of narrating host seems to really immerse you into the world without it feeling disconnected. This doesn't mean the other specials are lessened by having one, but I think this had it's own value. They kept Pinocchio familiar while kind of keeping their own touches on the story.
Pinocchio's character in this seems to be like a mischievous child with a jerk streak but wants to do right and tires, sometimes doing wrong to try to make it feel right. I feel it works for a wooden puppet being brought to life and having a disconnect from being human. While, I did joke that this special has a part where it feels like it's dragging, I do think the inclusion of him singing the "Put it in a Poem" song to the duke showed he did take the lesson to heart, now if he'd learned to not listen to the fox and cat.
It's a good Rankin Bass special and a good outing for Pinocchio and pretty interesting to watch.
That's it for now, tune in next time when some fox tries to sell us some land he found from an angel.
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