8 Dark Origins Behind Everyone's Favourite Disney Films

Pinocchio is one of the oldest Disney cartoon movies, released in 1940. The narrative is based on a much shorter story The Adventures of Pinocchio written by Carlo Collodi that ran as a serial in a newspaper in 1881 and 1882. Both versions follow a small puppet child who's nose grows when he tells a lie.

Much like the movie, the wooden boy has guidance from Jiminy Cricket, named the Talking Cricket in the original story, who is there to teach him about morals.

The serial was written as a message to children in listening to their elders and choosing the correct path in life. The cricket meets his demise in the original text as he tells Pinocchio to return home, to which the child responds by throwing a hammer at his friend from across the room, murdering him.

Karma catches up with the young puppet as his feet are burned off. The cricket returns as a ghost to warn him for the last time to be good, to which he ignores yet again. In the ending of this version, Pinocchio is then hanged as Collodi warned young readers to be good or face the consequences.