Coming to DVD: Pinocchio (1940)

Walt Disney's PINOCCHIO comes to DVD as a 2-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition on March 10, 2009.

This is my least favorite Disney animated film, as it's quite dark and often visually unappealing; yet ironically, the film also features one of Disney's most charming characters of all time, Jiminy Cricket, and it also contains perhaps the most iconic of all Disney tunes, the Oscar-winning "When You Wish Upon a Star."

As with all Platinum editions, the extras are outstanding. There's an audio commentary by Leonard Maltin and others; a pop-up trivia track; deleted scenes and an alternate ending; and a featurette on the making of PINOCCHIO, along with many other extras.

Truth be told, the extras here have far greater appeal for me than the movie itself. Given the excellence of the special features, as well as our high regard for Disney's Platinum editions in general, this set will join the other Platinum sets on our Disney shelf next year.