12 Greatest Ever Disney Trailers

Following the success of Snow White, Disney were under pressure to provide something equally impressive for their follow up. Over two years after their first animated film came out, Walt and his team released the trailer for their take on the classic Italian tale of Pinocchio.

It begins in spectacular fashion, with the flamboyant villain Stromboli introducing us to his star attraction – Pinocchio himself. The wooden protagonist sings the catchy ‘I’ve Got No Strings’ and does a brief comedic dance. This introduction demonstrated that Pinocchio will be the focus of the story, and he was charming and playful enough to be a compelling protagonist for the whole film.

The voice overs in classic trailers can often be obnoxious, but the one used here is quite effective, as the announcer used a newsreel-inspired style of speaking, as opposed to the more traditional salesman tone. This allowed the movie to seem like a genuine event, highlighting the success of Snow White and indicating that Disney were about to provide another huge hit.

The announcer then introduced us to all the new characters, providing some evocative descriptions and inviting us to choose our favourites The trailer then concludeed with a second song sung by Jiminy Cricket. a character whose homespun morality was perfectly suited to American values of the era. The trailer for Pinocchio built impressively on the legacy of Snow White, indicating that the Disney formula had the potential to last beyond one hit.