Talk:Puppetino

Puppetino is the first human character seen in Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, and is quite apparently a villain even from the beginning, not least because he steps from the ship of his master, the Emperor. Portrayed as a tall, lean, gaunt, pale-skinned man with a moustache, cloak, smart clothes and cockney accent, he quite embodies the classical villain. He hails himself as "World's greatest puppet master", though whose opinion this is based on besides his own is not mentioned.

Unlike Stromboli, from the Disney version of Pinocchio (with whom he has been compared), Puppetino is not used in a balance of both terror and comedy as a character; his only even remotely humorous moment is when he incorrectly calls Pinocchio "Pistachio", when trying to remember his name. NB; Puppetino states that he once saw Pinocchio as a puppet, but whether this was prior to, or after Pinnochio becoming the moving, conscious "wooden boy" from the original tale, is never explained.

What follows is a terrifying scene in which Puppetino turns Pinocchio back into a lifeless, wooden Puppet, laughing maniacally whilst playing a pipe organ, as Pinocchio is forced to dance to its tune. Pinocchio begs for mercy, but gets none. The presence of Twinkle, and Puppetino's remark "....just like the rest of my puppets", suggest that this isn't the first time this has happened, although what exactly causes the transformation is somewhat ambigous; is it the subject's acceptance to join the carnival,does the pipe organ emit some kind of power, or is simply being so close to Puppetino, with his malice, enough to cause the change? The sequence has been criticised and even cut when aired on TV.

Puppetino appears later in the film, standing near Pinocchio and his friends whilst Pinocchio confronts the Emperor. Puppetino is seen to be what he truly is during this time; simply the Emperor's manservant, but has lost none of his malignance. Pinocchio, with a newfound courage, which triggers the blue light of his fairy Godmother, stands up to the Emperor, making him cower and creating a way for Pinnochio and his friends to escape. The Emperor turns in rage upon Puppetino, whom, equally terrified, has allowed the group to flee, and fires a lightning bolt at his slave. Puppetino screams as his body cracks into solid wood and he is turned into a puppet; a very satisfying moment of poetic justice. Puppetino is set on fire along with the already burning ship, a last look of despair on his now wooden face.

While Puppetino is apparently destroyed, his image does later appear, laughing at Pinocchio and his friends behind one of the trick doors, as they scramble to escape the burning ship, in the end, successfully.Renn79 (talk) 03:27, August 15, 2012 (UTC)