''Geppetto'' is a 2000

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

remake of the popular 1883 Italian children's book ''

The Adventures of Pinocchio ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; it, Le avventure di Pinocchio ; commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'') is a children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pin ...

'' by

Carlo Collodi Carlo Lorenzini (24 November 1826 – 26 October 1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi (), was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist, widely known for his fairy tale novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio''. Early life Co ...

starring

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, '' The Drew Carey Show'', an ...

and

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), '' The New Adventure ...

. While not a direct adaptation of the 1940 animated film, it features a few elements such as the character of Figaro, the " I've Got No Strings" song as well as Pleasure Island. It features original songs written by Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz had developed the songs as a reunion for stars

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy ...

and Dick Van Dyke, but Andrews was undergoing throat surgery so the idea was dropped.

Plot

Geppetto Geppetto ( , ), also known as Mister Geppetto, is an Italian fictional character in the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator (and thus 'father') of Pinocchi ...

(

) is a kind toymaker who desperately wishes to become a father. One night, after selling his new spring toys to the children of Villagio, his wish is granted by the

Blue Fairy The Fairy with Turquoise Hair ( it, La Fata dai Capelli Turchini; often simply referred to as The Blue Fairy, ''La Fata Turchina'') is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book '' The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly app ...

(

), who brings his wooden puppet,

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

(

Seth Adkins Seth Elijah Adkins (born October 30, 1989) is an American actor. He made his debut as a child actor in the TV shows '' Small Talk'' and '' Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' in 1996 and the films '' ...First Do No Harm'' and '' Titanic'' in 1997. He l ...

), to life with her magic saying that someday, if he proves himself brave, truthful and unselfish, he will become a real boy. At first, Geppetto is delighted to have his wish come true, but runs into a string of problems, such as Pinocchio asking unnecessary questions when trying to get to sleep, getting into mischief and wandering off when introducing him to the townspeople, and showing no interest in being a toymaker. The next day, Geppetto sends Pinocchio off to school, telling him to just act like all the other children and he will do fine. However, Pinocchio gets into a fight at school, in which he was imitating all the other children. A disappointed Geppetto takes him home where an unsuccessful puppeteer named

Stromboli Stromboli ( , ; scn, Struògnuli ) is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing Mount Stromboli, one of the four active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sici ...

(

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role fo ...

) becomes interested, thinking he would make him a fortune in his puppet shows. Still furious about Pinocchio's misbehavior, Geppetto tries to reason with the Blue Fairy, but she does not believe him. He returns home to apologize to Pinocchio, only to find out he ran away to live with Stromboli. Geppetto decides to say goodbye to Pinocchio by watching him perform in Stromboli's puppet show. Stromboli is pleased with Pinocchio as his star puppet which has made him much money. But when Pinocchio asks to let him go, Stromboli refuses, stating it would violate a contract they signed. When Geppetto arrives backstage, hoping to say goodbye, Stromboli explains that Pinocchio left after the show, claiming that he wanted to see the world. After he leaves, Stromboli is outraged when he notices that Pinocchio escaped from the cage and spots him boarding a stagecoach to Pleasure Island. He decides to recapture him while Geppetto goes out to rescue him as well, with the Blue Fairy following him, attempting to assist him in his quest. Along the way, he meets an inept magician named Lezarno (

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host ...

) and Professor Buonragazzo (

René Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony A ...

) who lives in the town of Idyllia, where he and his son make perfect and ideal children who always obey their parents. Geppetto and Stromboli both arrive at Pleasure Island where Geppetto finds out all the boys turn into donkeys after riding a rollercoaster. But because adults are not allowed in Pleasure Island, Stromboli is kicked out while Geppetto arrives just in time to take Pinocchio home, but Pinocchio refuses, saying he did not want him because of what a big disappointment he was to him and immediately turns into a donkey once he gets on the rollercoaster and is shipped off to sea by boat. Trying to keep up with the boat, Geppetto accidentally gets swallowed by a monstrous whale. Pinocchio jumps off the boat and into the water where he gets swallowed by the whale as well and the donkey curse washes away. They make up and, noticing that they are inside the whale, they attempt to get out by having Pinocchio tell several lies, causing his nose to grow and tickle the whale's uvula to throw them up. Afterwards, they return to the toy shop where Stromboli arrives to take Pinocchio back, still keeping him under the contract. Geppetto offers him his whole shop in exchange for Pinocchio. As Stromboli captures him, Geppetto begs and pleads to the Blue Fairy, who can no longer help, to grant him one last wish. The Blue Fairy then turns Pinocchio into a real boy, shoos Stromboli away with her magic, and changes the words on the sign of Geppetto's shop to "Geppetto & Son".

Cast

as The Blue Fairy *

as Professor Buonragazzo *

* Usher as Pleasure Island Ringmaster *

Ana Gasteyer Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's '' Suburgatory,'' TBS's '' People of Earth'', NBC's ...

as Signora Giovanni *

as Lezarno * Anthony Crivello as Bernardo *

Christopher Marquette Chris Marquette (born October 3, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in such films as ''The Tic Code'', ''Freddy vs. Jason'', ''The Girl Next Door (2004 film), The Girl Next Door'', ''Just Friends'', ''Alpha Dog'' and ''Fanboys ...

as Buonragazzo Junior *

Renee Olstead Renee Olstead (born June 18, 1989) is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles on the CBS sitcom '' Still Standing'' and on the ABC Family drama ''The Secret Life of the American Teena ...

as Perfect Child * Teresa Parente as Maria * Janel Parrish as Natalie *

Anton Yelchin Anton Viktorovich Yelchin ( rus, Антон Викторович Ельчин, p=ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emig ...

as Fighting Kid at School * Patti Cohenour as Featured Performer * Jonathan Dokuchitz as Featured Performer * Jason Graae as Featured Performer * Myles Jeffrey as Featured Performer *

Kristin Klabunde Kristin Danielle Klabunde (born September 12, 1991 in New Jersey) is an American actress and singer. She is mostly known as the singing voice of Tasha on the Nickelodeon animated preschool series ''The Backyardigans''. She has had guest roles on t ...

as Featured Performer * Kyme as Featured Performer * Tessa Ludwick as Featured Performer * Paige Miller as Featured Performer *

Sara Paxton Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988) is an American actress, voice artist, and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows, before rising to fame in 2004, after playing the title role in the t ...

as Featured Performer *

Tiler Peck Tiler Kalyn Peck (born January 12, 1989) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. As well as ballet, she has performed in musical theatre shows and has made cameo appearances in films including ''Donn ...

as Featured Performer * Scarlett Pomers as Featured Performer * Mark Saul as Featured Performer * Kyle Sullivan as Featured Performer *

Arnetia Walker Arnetia Walker is an American actress and singer, active since 1971. She played Nurse Annie Roland in the NBC sitcom ''Nurses'' from 1991 to 1994. Life and career Walker was born in Columbus, Georgia, Walker was very young when her mother died, ...

as Featured Performer *

Camille Winbush Camille Simoine Winbush (born February 9, 1990) is an American actress and recording artist best known for her roles as Emma Aimes on short-lived sitcom '' Minor Adjustments'', Vanessa Thomkins on '' The Bernie Mac Show'' and as Lauren Treacy o ...

as Featured Performer * Josh Zuckerman as Featured Performer *

Grover Dale Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher. Early life Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He stud ...

as Featured Performer * Aaron Spann as Resident of Idyllia *

Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905–1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Americ ...

as Pleasure Island Inhabitant * Jack Salvatore Jr. as Pleasure Island Inhabitant

Musical numbers

# "Once Upon a Time" – Geppetto # "Toys" – Geppetto, town children, parents # "Empty Heart" – Geppetto # "Geppetto and Son" – Geppetto, Pinocchio # "Just Because It's Magic" – Blue Fairy, Geppetto # " I've Got No Strings" – Pinocchio # "Bravo, Stromboli!" – Stromboli # "Toys" (Reprise) – Geppetto, Lezarno # "Satisfaction Guaranteed" – Professor Buonragazzo, Buonragazzo Jr., Idyllia residents # "Just Because It's Magic" (Reprise) – Blue Fairy # "Pleasure Island" – Ringmaster # "And Son" (Whale Reprise) – Pinocchio, Geppetto # "Since I Gave My Heart Away" – Geppetto, Blue Fairy, townspeople # "Since I Gave My Heart Away" (Single Version) – Sonya Isaacs The soundtrack for ''Geppetto'' is available from

Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by it ...

, and it features songs from the film composed by Stephen Schwartz, as well as the single, "Since I Gave My Heart Away" performed by

Sonya Isaacs Sonya Melissa Isaacs (born July 22, 1974) is an American country, bluegrass gospel and Christian music singer. Isaacs grew up near Morrow, Ohio, and graduated from Little Miami High School in 1992. Her maternal grandparents are Polish Jewish ...

(as heard in the end credits of the movie). Jerry Mitchell was the film's choreographer.

Home media

Walt Disney Home Video Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, a ...

released the film on VHS on May 30, 2000. It was later released to

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

on September 26 of that year, and subsequently reissued on January 13, 2009.

Stage

In 2006, ''Geppetto'' was adapted into a stage musical and renamed '' Disney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale''.

Awards

* Nominated for four

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s in 2000: ** Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special ** Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special ** Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries ** Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special * Winner of the 2001 Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Costume Design for Television - Period/Fantasy * Winner of two Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards in 2001 ** Best Period Makeup - Television (for a Mini-Series/Motion Picture Made for Television ** Best Special Makeup Effects - Television (for a Mini-Series/Motion Picture Made for Television) *

won the 2000 YoungStar Award for Best Young Actor/Performance in a Miniseries/Made-For-TV Film

References

External links

* * {{Stephen Schwartz Pinocchio films 2000 films 2000 television films 2000s musical fantasy films American musical fantasy films American television films Disney film remakes Pinocchio (1940 film) Television remakes of films Films directed by Tom Moore 2000s English-language films 2000s American films