Author’s note: Over the pandemic, I watched 59 theatrical animated films created by Walt Disney Animation Studios in order of release. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to read the first post in the series, Snow White to Strange World: Re-visiting Disney One Animated Film at a Time.

“I may be live bait down there, but I’m with you.” I certainly wish I had Jiminy Cricket with me during the darkest Disney trauma of the 1940s. 

But before we get to Pinocchio, we must not gloss over the blatant racism of the resource-limited 1940s and the one deleted scene from the still renown Fantasia. 

(Disclaimer: while I tried to educate myself throughout this process, researching and referencing external sources, my viewpoint is still limited, and I apologize in advance for anything I may have overlooked.)