Carlo Collodi's 'Pinocchio' has always struck me as a personal favourite with a powerful story and quite timeless characters. Although some of the storytelling is quite dark and the themes have depth that have surprising relevance even now, 'Pinocchio' still manages to be a very accessible read, have always found myself reading it in a short period of time so engrossing the story is.
As has been said quite a few times, 'Simsala Grimm' is not a series to expect straight up faithful adaptations from, anybody expecting that will generally find themselves disappointed, and it is one of those series that's uneven (a few not so great episodes, especially 'Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp') but very interesting on its own merits. 'Simsala Grimm's' version of 'Pinocchio' is actually generally one of the more faithful episodes of the series in terms of adaptations, the spirit is not as dark as the original story or the Disney film (not a faithful adaptation at all but still a masterpiece as an overall film) but what is included in story detail and character essence is recognisable. The episode is a good way to introduce younger audiences unfamiliar with the story to it, and as far as the series goes it is among the better episodes. Certainly of Season 3, where as one may have guessed the Simsala universe was expanded and more stories from other authors were adapted.
There are a few of the problems still that are apparent in many other episodes. The character designs sometimes lack finesse and not only do a few look lifted out of other episodes but one can tell that there was a Disney influence (i.e. the fox and cat, although their personalities are closer to the source material than Disney).
Some of the dialogue is on the corny side, which is not uncommon for 'Simsala Grimm' in general actually.
However, this is another episode where Doc Croc and Yoyo do serve a point here and they play helpful roles, not feeling like wasted filler generally, though one can question whether they are entirely needed within the context of the story. Both are also likeable characters. 'Pinocchio' does well with the original story's characters, with a titular character that grows and not too fast, antagonists that aren't too scary and "good" characters that aren't too perfect. The voice work is neither bland or hammy.
Again, enough of the (traditional hand-drawn) animation is pleasing, the finesse is not always there or the imagination, but there are some lovely and never flat colours and it's nicely detailed. The music fits well (likewise with the never hammy or bland voice acting) and the main theme is catchy. Have always really liked the once upon a time approach to the intro. The story is charming and engaging, never being too cute or too dark (which is a miracle considering the concept of the series and the original story) or too hasty or padded. Understanding what's going on is always easy while not dumbing down too much.
On the whole, solid episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox
As has been said quite a few times, 'Simsala Grimm' is not a series to expect straight up faithful adaptations from, anybody expecting that will generally find themselves disappointed, and it is one of those series that's uneven (a few not so great episodes, especially 'Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp') but very interesting on its own merits. 'Simsala Grimm's' version of 'Pinocchio' is actually generally one of the more faithful episodes of the series in terms of adaptations, the spirit is not as dark as the original story or the Disney film (not a faithful adaptation at all but still a masterpiece as an overall film) but what is included in story detail and character essence is recognisable. The episode is a good way to introduce younger audiences unfamiliar with the story to it, and as far as the series goes it is among the better episodes. Certainly of Season 3, where as one may have guessed the Simsala universe was expanded and more stories from other authors were adapted.
There are a few of the problems still that are apparent in many other episodes. The character designs sometimes lack finesse and not only do a few look lifted out of other episodes but one can tell that there was a Disney influence (i.e. the fox and cat, although their personalities are closer to the source material than Disney).
Some of the dialogue is on the corny side, which is not uncommon for 'Simsala Grimm' in general actually.
However, this is another episode where Doc Croc and Yoyo do serve a point here and they play helpful roles, not feeling like wasted filler generally, though one can question whether they are entirely needed within the context of the story. Both are also likeable characters. 'Pinocchio' does well with the original story's characters, with a titular character that grows and not too fast, antagonists that aren't too scary and "good" characters that aren't too perfect. The voice work is neither bland or hammy.
Again, enough of the (traditional hand-drawn) animation is pleasing, the finesse is not always there or the imagination, but there are some lovely and never flat colours and it's nicely detailed. The music fits well (likewise with the never hammy or bland voice acting) and the main theme is catchy. Have always really liked the once upon a time approach to the intro. The story is charming and engaging, never being too cute or too dark (which is a miracle considering the concept of the series and the original story) or too hasty or padded. Understanding what's going on is always easy while not dumbing down too much.
On the whole, solid episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox