My son Nathan just went through his first round of CSAPs. (See my post Working hard or hardly working? Parenting in the time of CSAPs at the Rocky Mountain Moms Blog.)

One of the highlights of the day was to watch Pinocchio when the test was over. Nathan loved Jiminy Cricket, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and Geppetto and the whale. But the best part, which surely got laughs from the entire class, was discovering that jackass is another word for donkey. Goodness knows, real boys would find that amusing.

Oh the things you learn at school!

A real boy

Disney just release a special 70th anniversary edition of Pinocchio on Blu-ray and DVD that you’ll have to check out. Fully restored, some have complained that the colors are way too bright. Even so, it’s a must have in your record collection, not only because of the movie but for the bonus features.

Watching the movie brings back so many memories of watching it on TV and visiting the ride at Disneyland – one of my favorite things to do when I visit the park.

The DVD comes with many extra features including alternative endings, and you can find games, wallpapers and activity sheets on the Pinocchio Disney website.

Note: when you buy the Blu-Ray version, you get DVD in regular format. If you don’t have a Blu-Ray now, but plan to in the future, this is the way to go. Or you can split costs with a friend who had a Blu-Ray – just don’t fight over the case, OK?

DVD Bonus Features

DISC ONE

• Pinocchio’s Matter of Facts – Learn fun facts about Pinocchio and other related subjects as you watch the movie.  
• Audio Commentary – An all-new audio commentary with Leonard Maltin, Eric Goldberg and J. B. Kaufman.
• Disney Song Selection – Select this option to sing along with favorite songs as the lyrics appear onscreen. 

DISC TWO 

• No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio – Witness the behind-the scenes magic that transformed Carlo Collodi’s popular book into a classic animated film. 
• Deleted Scenes – The Story of the Grandfather Tree – Kindly Geppetto tells Pinocchio about the Great Pine Tree from which Pinocchio is descended.  
• In The Belly Of The Whale – The most elaborate of Pinocchio’s deleted scenes that remain in the Disney Archives, these recently discovered storyboards reveal a different version of Geppetto inside Monstro.
• Alternate Ending – A recently uncovered set of small storyboard panels reveal plans for a different version of Pinocchio becoming a real boy.
• The Sweat Box – The Sweatbox was a small projection room at the Disney studio where Walt critiqued story reels, rough animation, and dailies of films in progress with his anxious artists.  This piece traces the history of the Sweatbox and brings to life this important part of Walt Disney’s artistic process.
• Live Action Reference Footage
• Pinocchio Art Galleries
• Deleted Songs – An audio collection of period “pop” recordings of songs that not used in the final film. 
• Pinocchio Puzzles – Hosted by Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio’s Puzzles is a multi-tiered Puzzle game that contains six unique wooden puzzles for the viewer to assemble. Each puzzle forms an image from the
  film that comes to life once they are complete.   

BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES 
Dsney BD-Live Network features only available in the U.S. 

DISC ONE  – Includes the movie plus:

• Cine-Explore 
• Disney BD-Live Network – The Disney BD-Live Network is just one of the many ways movie lovers, families, and loved ones can continue to stay connected and engage in their favorite movies.
• Movie Chat – Communicate with your remote friends on-screen while in a synchronized viewing party using your remote control or any text enabled device such as a laptop, desk top or any PDA device such as a Blackberry, iPhone or most other regular cell phones. Your chat session will appear over the movie and occur in real-time while watching the movie together.
• Movie Mail – Blu-ray owners will be able to record a personalized video message of themselves, superimpose that capture onto one of many pre-selected clips of the movie, and send it off to a friend, colleague, or relative. This specific feature enables Pinocchio Blu-ray
  Disc owner to personalize a very special greeting as never before.
• Movie Challenge – Users will be able to test their skills against other players in a synchronized, real-time, online trivia game while watching Pinocchio with anyone online.  Movie Challenge is always active no matter what time of the day it is, and there will always be
  a game in progress.
• Disney Movie Rewards Live – Pinocchio Blu-ray owners will be able to accumulate Disney Movie Reward Points by participating in many Disney BD-Live Network activities. In return, viewers can redeem points for exclusive content such as Avatars, downloadable extras and many more exciting possibilities.  

DISC TWO 

• Includes all DVD bonus content plus Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge

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