The Adventures of Pinocchio

Set in the 18th century, the film opens with the kindly Italian woodcarver, Geppetto, declaring his secret love for a woman named Leona by carving their initials in a heart on an old pine tree in the forest. Later, lightning strikes the tree. Many years later, Geppetto, now an old man living alone with his cat and his puppets, returns to the forest. A piece of wood from that tree, bearing the heart Gepetto carved, finds its way into his cart. Feeling a certain affinity for it, he decides to carve a puppet from it. When he finishes his work, he names his new creation Pinocchio, from the pine wood he made him from and for his magnificent eyes. Suddenly, the wooden boy comes to life and shocks the old puppet-maker. Although Gepetto tells Pinocchio that he is not his father, he seeks to protect the puppet, who damages himself while trying to imitate a pigeon leaping and running along the roofs of the city. Later, Pinocchio wanders off, following a child with a ball. He runs into Volpe and Felinet, who try to sell him to the puppet-theater owner Lorenzini. Although Lorenzini agrees to pay a great deal for Pinocchio, Geppetto declines.