The Wonderful World of Disney (TV Series) Geppetto (2000) User Reviews

I am so getting voted down for this...

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 20 December 2012]

I watched this because on Whose Line is it Anyway they always brought it up to mock it. Before I finally sat down to see it, I read the reviews here on IMDb and was surprised to find that virtually everyone seemed to love it so much. I had no idea what to expect going in.

The story is essentially the plot of the 1940 Pinocchio except told from the point of view of his father, Geppetto. It's a parable about the hardships of parenting, which isn't as easy as the toymaker had hoped it would be once he gets a son of his own. Believing Pinocchio is somehow defective since he doesn't listen to the rules or wish to be exactly like him, he tries to get the Blue Fairy to correct her "mistake", causing the puppet to run away. The rest of the plot concerns Geppetto's quest to find him and make things right, learning about parental love along the way.

It's not a bad premise; actually, it's quite interesting, however, I just didn't care for the execution. If the 1940 animated film was a watered down version of Collodi's original book, then Geppetto is a watered down version of the 1940 animated film. It felt rather cloying to me.. I didn't find the musical numbers that memorable save for a scene where Geppetto and the Blue Fairy seem to be channeling Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, though I will admit Drew Carey has a pretty good voice. It's not technically perfect, but he lends the right amount of emotion. Most of the acting was quite good too, though I did find Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Blue Fairy to be grating. The production values are wanting, but I didn't expect anything too elaborate as this is a television movie after all.

Geppetto is not a terrible movie; it's a cute little musical that's not too elaborate, and judging from everyone else's reactions, they really enjoyed it. I'm just probably missing something.

Watch PINOCCHIO again, or Disney's ANNIE remake

[Neal · 4/10 · 7 May 2000]

The Disney folks must be applauded for reviving the live-action movie musical (albeit on television); it wasn't hard to improve on John Huston's gruesome film of ANNIE, but the Disney version actually seemed an improvement on the overrated Broadway show. And it's always fun to see stars not primarily known their for singing and dancing kick up their heels (if you haven't seen Kathy Bates' spectacular turn in ANNIE, rent it now.) So it's disheartening to report that GEPPETTO isn't even in the ballpark. Ostensibly a retelling of the Pinocchio story from his father's point of view, it will probably bore kids and puzzle most adults.

Admirably, Drew Carey as Geppetto displays none of his sitcom or stand-up personae, but hasn't found any persuasive replacement. It doesn't help that the character as written is pretty much a simpering wimp or that his wig appears to be the one originally worn by Patty Duke as the American twin on her old TV series; Carey could be auditioning for a biopic about The Turtles. In fact, the whole production has the look and sound of the kind of expensively cheesy sixties musicals that helped bury the genre: technically slick and impressive without being attractive or appealing. The tone, however, is pure nineties: guilty parents can only find happiness by learning to obey their children.

Hearing just a few bars each of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "I've Got No Strings" here is enough to illustrate how uninspired Stephen Schwartz's score is. Schwartz seems at fault too for pushing Carey, who has a more than adequate singing voice, beyond his range; he could and should have sounded a lot more comfortable. As a hazily-conceived Blue Fairy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus attempts an unsuccessful homage to Billie Burke in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but also reveals a very pretty soprano behind the affected diction. Poor Usher Raymond gets stuck with the worst song, and though he looks like he could dance up a storm he's barely given the chance. Brent Spiner, with vocal chops to spare, comes off best, but then again he is playing the villain (and gets the best hair, too.)

It would be churlish to complain about Seth Adkins' whiny performance as Pinocchio; nearly all of the child actors have been directed to whine and sulk brattily, the better to manipulate their supplicatory parents. But the sheer awfulness of his costume and makeup is indicative of the production's creative clumsiness. With a grotesquely streaked face and awkward, artificial "puppet" joints, Pinocchio looks less like a little wooden boy than the unfortunate victim of some horrible real-life disease.

TV movie goodness

[Cookie24 · 7/10 · 8 May 2000]

'Geppetto' was cute, but did we really need a new Pinocchio? NO. Is this age the age of remakes? YES. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was radiant as the Blue Fairy (the female less-than-equal to Jiminy Cricket) and her voice is beautiful, which goes well with the dress. That was the only thing that was great about the movie. The graphics are cheap. The added storyline and new songs, however, were a new treat. I liked it, but it wasn't the greatest ever. Want a good movie? Rent the original.

An excellent musical fantasy not unlike Disney classics of the past

[ets2000 · 10/10 · 3 May 2000]

The Disney Company has rediscovered the magic of the live action musical (a magic that seemingly vanished toward the end of the 60s); although, it might have considered the wide screen a better source for the release of "Geppetto."

In simple terms, this is a motion picture-sized musical extravaganza for the small screen that depicts the tale of "Pinocchio" from the eyes of his "father" Geppetto. Starting with his "son's" creation, Geppetto quickly learns that children are not perfect; what he fails to understand is that such imperfections may be derived from the parent. Subsequently, when Pinocchio runs away with the evil gold-loving Stromboli and then to Pleasure Island, Geppetto requires lessons in parenthood and of the heart and inner soul. In hilarious fashion, the Blue Fairy assists Geppetto on his journey to eventually find both understanding and Pinocchio.

Drew Carey is surprisingly strong in a title role that relies more on emotion than one-liners. Brent Spiner's Stromboli is evil personified, although in a comical light that should not leave the kiddies afraid to go to sleep in the dark. Julia Louis-Dreyfus initially appears over-animated as the Blue Fairy. We discover later how this plays into her role when she displays her magic powers to Carey in a series of hilarious dance sequences. Usher is ever-so-sly as the singing Ring Leader in Pleasure Island. Seth Adkins is the penultimate Pinocchio, reminiscent of the 1940s animated version. His extensive makeup leads one to believe that this talented boy is genuinely made of wood.

The rest of the cast play their roles with abundant energy and warm-hearted feeling that transmits beyond the screen and directly into the hearts and minds of the audience. These feelings are intensified by Stephen Schwartz's highly enjoyable musical score and songs, with no less than two showstoppers: in "Toys" three tracks sung by the parents, children and Geppetto run simultaneously yet we clearly understand each one. "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sung by Rene Auberjonois and a chorus of golden-voiced youngsters adds exuberant, vibrant energy to an active and complex choreographed sequence; the townspeople and their "perfect" children create a visual delight with their routine.

Equally incredible is the scenery in the Pleasure Island sequence, a colorful, attractive yet eerie amusement park of sorts where Pinocchio connects with the "bad" children of the world. Particularly funny are the run-ins that Stromboli has with the Pleasure Island children as he races against Geppetto to find and catch Pinocchio before he can suffer the fate of all Pleasure Island kids.

Monstro fans, take heart. The giant whale makes a cameo appearance. Kids especially will laugh at Pinocchio's idea to hopefully save Geppetto and himself from that mighty stomach.

Finally, the live action musical extravaganza has come back to the screen, albeit a smaller screen than for major musicals of the past. Before viewing "Geppetto," one may wish to watch the original Disney animated version of "Pinocchio" to become familiar with the story and characters. Consider that an optional homework assignment, not a necessity as this film can and will stand on its own for future generations of families.

Fun music, great supporting actors, lousy principals and effects

[overzeetop · 7/10 · 22 September 2010]

If you can get past seeing and hearing Drew Carey in a serious role, a sickly sweet British accent used by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and a horrible makeup job on Pinocchio, this a a fun movie for the older crowd that remembers Pinocchio. Younger kids will like the film for the songs and dance numbers. You might say that this is a prequel to the Wicked genre - a familiar tale told from an alternate point of view. You'll find bits of sharp with below the surface at times, and they'll smack you in the face with it at other times.

Once you get past the negatives, this is - as other reviewers have mentioned - a return of the old style musical. The rest of the cast is fantastic, with engaging performances from practically all the supporting roles. While I'll admit the music can be pretty sugary, the big production numbers lots of fun, and Geppetto's ballads very lyrical. There's no Defying Gravity in this libretto, but there are a couple of tunes you might catch yourself humming (Toys, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Pleasure Island).

I'm torn between a 6 and a 7 for this film. I think, as a traditional silver-screen musical, it works well enough to be a keeper. I happen to like Drew Carey (though not in this role) so I'm going to round my score up. I think with a better effect budget (or simply better executed effects) and two new leads, this could be a solid 8-9.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

[deepspace93 · 10/10 · 7 May 2000]

I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was much better than the Jonathan Taylor Thomas version. While the JTT one had better special FX, this one had much better direction and script-writing. Also the fact that it was a musical made it all that much more enjoyable. Brent Spiner (Star Trek TNG's Data) was wonderful as Stromboli. And Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek DS9's Odo) was magnificent as Buonragazzo. I highly recommend this film, and will probably buy it on video.

WoW... reminds me of older days.

[Draco of Avalon · 10/10 · 10 May 2000]

This movie reminds me of the classic musicals of the 50's. I LOVED IT. The cast was excelent... Drew Cary did an outstanding job (and boy did he sound better singing in this than he does on who's line is it anyways LOL). Julia Dreyfus also was terrific as the Blue Fairy. Their dance numbers together are pure magic. The rest of the cast was also truly excelent.

My only problem with this movie is that it was made for TV. Due to time constrictions they rushed the ending. They could of stretched it out in to a 2 day mini series or somthing... But other than that it was great. Disney has been quite the disapointment to me latly with movies like Inspector Gadget and Tarzan... They were horible comparedf to this The musical score was also great. With Dreamworks one step behind Disney needs more movie like this to keep up and notr fall behing.

I give it 99 out of 10...

What movie were the critics watching ?

[aesgaard41 · 18 November 2000]

What's wrong with "Geppetto ?" I may be blindly faithful as a Drew Carey fan, but this is his best dramatic talent and first family film that I know of, but I think he does a great job. His singing may not be Madonna, but would you want your kids watching "The Drew Carey Show" with its humor on sex, drinking and abuse in the workplace. Julia Louise Dreyfuss also shines in this as a cross between Glinda the Good Witch and Tinkerbell. Rene Auberjonais plays an eccentric inventor blind to Drew's true wishes, and Brent Spiner plays the human version of the animals in the cartoon who kidnapped Pinocchio. Drew's buddy, Wayne Brady, makes a cameo, but a lot of gumption has to got to the young actor ( I forget his name ) who had to endure all that body make-up. He should have a fairly successful career ahead of him or at least a supporting role on Drew's TV show.I don't know about you, but this movie counts in my list of top children's movies along with "Mary Poppins," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and "The Wizard of Oz."

Seth Adkins

[les_margo · 10/10 · 13 November 2006]

I love to watch this film often. I especially like Seth Adkins' parts. He is my very favorite young actor and I hope he goes far in his acting career. I am one of his fans and I am always posting message of his Message Board. He did a real good job in GEPPETTO. I liked the part where he sang and danced with Drew Cary and in the part where he sang and dance to that song. I can't quote the words. but he told me that his mom and dad set up a stage for him to practice on and Seth practiced all his lines on GEPPETTO and would go through the acts he had to do for the film. I like Seth smile on GEPPETTO and that laugh he does is unique and shows he loves what he is doing. Seth's most outstanding performance was in TAMING ANDREW OR WHEN ANDEW CAME HOME. I have that film too and watch it often. There is a real Andrew and Seth studied this kid's case and learned all he could about the real Andrew so he could act in the film and Seth did a great job in that film. I think everybody should watch it and see for themselves what an outstanding young actor Seth Adkins is. Watch him smile in all of his films and hear that laugh that he is so noted for. I know Seth will be go far in his acting career.

Here is a quote from GEPPETTO and it goes like this:

GEPPETTO says to Pinnochio "Your the best son a father could ever have" And Pinnochio says. "Even though I am made from wood" and then Geppetto says "It is not what you are made of on the outside, but it is what you made on the inside that counts."

WONDERFUL! A must see family film

[mntwister · 10/10 · 14 July 2003]

This is a great movie musical made for television. I don't understand how one guy on here says it was such an awful score, I think it's the best original musical score in years and this should be on the Broadway stage. Steven Schwartz is in top form with this one, a 10 star job on this music. Songs such as TOYS, SATISFACTION GUARANTEED and PLEASURE ISLAND are showstoppers, all of them. Two beautiful melodies fill MY EMPTY HEART and SINCE YOU TOOK MY HEART AWAY. The blue fairy also has an excellent melody used several times throughout. Drew and the rest of the cast are quite good, I was impressed at Drew's performance. No, it's not Emmy winning but this role was not meant to be heavily acted. My only complaint is how the end is a little rushed especially the whale sequence, that was the only part of the film that looked cheap to me, the 5 minutes of expelling from the whale.

I recommend this to all families, it's rare to see this kind of entertainment as brand new, not a musical remake. I only wish Disney would wise up and put out a dvd, there never was one, it was scheduled and never released...Amazon says out of print but I have confirmed with Disney they have not and do not have any plans to issue it, can't imagine why. IGNORE THE LOW IMDB RATING....read the reviews, they say it all...not sure why it was such a low number.

I love It!! For Me It Was "Satisfaction Guaranteed"

[johnstonjames · 10/10 · 20 May 2010]

i just love this movie. i must have seen it over fifty times by now. i can't stop watching. it's so pleasing and congenial and so Disney. it's a return to 'Disney' live-action musicals like 'Mary Poppins', 'Pete's Dragon', 'One and Only Genuine Original Family Band', 'Happiest Millionaire',etc. i always love 'Disney' musicals and this is one of their best.

the detractors of this have been so unfair. isn't it funny how this was written before Stephen Schwartz's 'Wicked' became a big Broadway hit. this show preceded 'Wicked' by a few years. many critics who skewered 'Geppetto' should have to rethink their position. how could anyone skewer a musical by Stephen Schwartz? i mean he wrote 'Godspell' and so many other musical theater classics. 'Gepetto' deserves more serious consideration than it has been given in the past.

the cast is excellent. of course Drew Carey's beautifully sensitive performance as the lead role is the focal point, but the rest of the cast, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Brent Spiner, Rene Auberjonois, and Usher Raymond are all absolutely perfect and incredibly entertaining.

i've always loved Walt Disney films and this one stands out for me. and yes, i have seen the original 'Pinocchio' cartoon which happens to be my favorite of the animated classics. i have also read Collodi's book. as someone who is very familiar with "little woodenhead" i found this version to be charming,hilarious, musical, and above all pure 'Disney' magic. after all, it did premiere on the 'Wonderful World of Disney'. that's where i first saw it and fell in love with it. God Bless Drew Carey and the rest of the wonderful Disney cast.

Terrific

[Op_Prime · 7 May 2000]

Geppetto is a wonderful surprise from Disney. Drew Carey does a surprisingly good job as the title character and in all the musical numbers. Rene Auberjonois and Bret Spiner are particularly enjoyable in their roles. Of course, everyone who has seen the animated feature, Pinocchio, knows the story. And unlike some remakes, Geppetto sticks closely to the original story. This is a must see.

Unknown and underrated

[liamlovesmovies_ · 8/10 · 19 June 2022]

I grew up watching this TV movie and to this day I still enjoy it. So many happy memories. The story is wonderful and has a great ensemble cast. Some truly beautiful original songs as well, written by musical theatre giant Steven Schwartz. Find this film and watch it! It's perfect for what it is.

The Original Live Action Pinocchio

[Hollywood_Yoda · 8/10 · 17 October 2023]

Long before live action remakes were based on every single animated movie and coming out every other day, there was Geppetto, the original live action version of Pinocchio starring Drew Carey. At the time, Carey was a big star, he had his own tv sitcom, The Drew Carey Show and a variety show, Whose Line?, which also starred Geppetto castmate Wayne Brady.

Drew Carey definitely shows he has a wide range of acting skills, and he's pretty amusing in musicals, and has the moves to back it up. Also starring in this little gem is Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, fresh off her stint as Elaine from the hit show Seinfeld. The late 90s and early 2000s Wonderful World of Disney television films were a great place for nostalgia and fun. They need to bring that back to Sunday nights. Make good television movies again, Disney!

Not as Bad as Critisised

[BlackX · 18 October 2002]

OK, so the costumes and make-up were horrible?So what? I got over it. It's not the best movie out there, but considering I've never been able to keep my brain on in the original Pinnochio(in fact, I found myself, still with my eyes open, waking up and going "How long was I out? and once "Where am I?" and a lot of "What was I thinking?"s), it wasn't that bad. Too bad it seemed a one time thing. Drew Carey, one of my favourite comedians, doesn't do a lot of looking around, laughing or jerking motions like on his show(which doesn't mean the show is bad, a like it a lot), but instead is surprisingly strong if not as believable as other choices, and focused. I despised the Fairy woman(I forget the name) and Pinocchio himself gave a bad performance, not believable at all. But Brent Spinner and a short, good, but a little clumsy appearance by Wayne Brady keep the score from falling. His role a little unnecessary, the Magician was a good time filler. Brent was definitely the best actor out there, out to make a hard, almost no-reason-behind-his-actions character rise beyond all else.

But please: Get a new composer! For the love of God!