I think it should go without saying that Pinocchio is one of the most disturbing Disney movies ever created. It will certainly occupy quite a few places in this series (which is why I’m starting out with it), and one of the most disturbing parts of this film is the character of the Coachman (voiced by Charles Judels, who coincidentally also voices Stromboli in the same film).
The Coachman is introduced about halfway through the film. At a sleepy tavern one night, the tricksters “Honest” John (a fox) and Gideon (a cat) are regaling the Coachman with how they tricked Pinocchio into going with Stromboli, the latter paying them a (tiny) modest fee in return. The Coachman appears bemused by all of this, and finally asks the two if they’d like to make some REAL money, thumping down an enormous bag of money on the table. To get paid, all Honest John and Gideon have to do is find as many naughty boys as they can and direct them to a coach that he has leaving at midnight. A few of the details are obscured in whispers, but the conclusion is that by the end of it all, the Coachman will be taking all the boys off to Pleasure Island.
“PLEASURE ISLAND?!!?” Honest John appears petrified for once and questions what will happen if the law finds out?? (Note how the music rises in “panic” along with Honest John’s words). Given the disregard for the law Honest John has shown before, it speaks volumes that he’s worried about it now. But the Coachman isn’t worried as there’s no risk: “You see…” he says “they never come back…as BOYS!!!”
THIS is what makes this a “Disturbing Disney” scene, not just the Coachman’s threat about the boys never returning (as humans) but also his unexpected transformation into this monstrous/demonic figure. When I re-watched the film for the first time in many years, I literally leaped back in my seat as I hadn’t remembered this part at all!! It’s a truly disturbing moment that makes the skin crawl. Clearly, the Coachman isn’t an ordinary human, in fact, I don’t think he’s human at all! Based on what we’ll see in the second installment, I think it likely that the Coachman is a literal “devil in disguise” (he is wearing red after all) or at the very least he’s a dark spirit working in league with the devil.
One last note, I just wanted to mention my thoughts on something I read while researching for this post: for those who say that this scene is a metaphor for pedophilia (i.e. they never come back as “boys” because he’s going to use them in THAT way, etc.), I would say consider WHEN this film was made. I’m not saying that issue didn’t exist in 1940, but films were still highly censored when it came to taboo subjects and if the review board had the slightest inkling that’s what this moment referred to, the scene would have been cut for sure (or the line would have been altered). That’s all I wanted to say about that; I believe the Coachman’s words can be interpreted literally, they’re not coming back as “boys” because they’re not going to be human when they return.
And to think this is found in a movie watched by children…*shudders* and if you think THIS is bad, just wait until #2, that’s when I’ll tell you the secret of Pleasure Island (and what happens to Pinocchio’s friend Lampwick…I nearly started with this scene instead but I thought it would be better to build up to it.)
What do you think of the first installment of “Disturbing Disney” ? I promise I’ve got plenty more to share with you. I can’t wait to see Logan tonight and share my thoughts on it with you 🙂
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For more Disturbing Disney, see also:
Disturbing Disney #2: The truth of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio (1940)
Disturbing Disney #3: Escaping Monstro from Pinocchio (1940)
Disturbing Disney #4: Dumbo loses his mother (1941)
Disturbing Disney #5: The death of Bambi’s Mother (1942)
Disturbing Disney #6: Faline vs. the dogs (1942)
Disturbing Disney #7: Cruella wants to do WHAT??
Disturbing Disney #8: The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met (from Make Mine Music, 1946)
Disturbing Disney #9: Dr. Facilier’s Fate (The Princess and the Frog, 2009)
Disturbing Disney #10: The rat in Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Disturbing Disney #11: Clayton’s Death in Tarzan (1999)
Disturbing Disney #12: The Bear from The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Disturbing Disney #13: “Smoking them out” in The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Disturbing Disney #14: The Salt Trap in The Jungle Book (1994)
Disturbing Disney #15: Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia (1940)
Disturbing Disney #16: King Triton destroys Ariel’s grotto
Disturbing Disney #17: Ratigan becomes a monster in The Great Mouse Detective
Disturbing Disney #18: The Queen’s assignment for her Huntsman
Disturbing Disney #19: Cinderella’s dress is destroyed (1950)
Disturbing Disney #20: Quasimodo is crowned ‘King of Fools’ (1996)
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wow. never thought abt this, yep it is quite disturbing.
its possible abt the pedo thing, but it doesnt matter because it can be interpreted both ways.
great job Bec and im looking forward to the continuation of this series!
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thank you very much! glad you’re enjoying it 🙂
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One that I would add to the list is Disney’s Legend of Ichabod Crane. The Headless Horseman Chase scene at the end scared me so bad as a kid, I was always cautious when I went exploring in the woods….
Never knew if the Horseman would come flying down the trail for my head!!
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I only saw bits and pieces of this growing up, and I’m glad because it would’ve upset me as a kid. It’s probably the darkest of all Disney movies because all those boys are doomed, bad guys get away I believe, and while there’s a happy ending for the father and son, there’s so much…doom…for others
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I definitely thought that this was a truly disturbing scene, and of course Lampwick’s transformation is one of the most disturbing scenes throughout cinematic history. I find it MORE disturbing as an adult viewer, though I wasn’t exactly comfortable with it as a child either. I think it speaks to the credit of the work that I have found it more disturbing from a more mature perspective…
Thank you for writing this series–it is very interesting! I wanted to comment briefly on Honest John’s reaction to this scene. It seems clear that he has heard of Pleasure Island, and I agree that it is telling that in spite of his general lack of compassion for and willingness to take advantage of others, he seems genuinely mortified by what goes down there. He also struck me as not especially happy to gather up boys to go to Pleasure Island, and it seemed like he only agreed to do it due to a veiled threat from the Coachman–could the Coachman also turn Honest John into something like a donkey (one that is not anthropomorphic!)? I felt like this moment sympathized Honest John ever-so-slightly, and made the point that there are many much more insidious than your everyday petty thief/conman–though these may be agents of evil nonetheless.
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I see the thing as contraddictory. I mean, we see honest John targeting children (Pinocchio) without remorse, so I don’t think he has issue to send children to the pleasure land.
I believe he is scared by pleasure land for other reasons.
Since he talks about the law, brobably he hears about police investigating about pleasure land, as they know it does exist…
and in scrapped version of Pinocchio’s disney, Pinocchio and Geppetto report Coachman, Gideon and Honest John to the police.
An interesting thing I saw is the fact that Jimily doesn’t turn into a donkey, so do not the coachman and his mignon.
I assumed that the only that turn into donkeys are the kids that, are ignorant for obvious reason, but the magic doesn’t work on educated adults.
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Well, as far as the coachman and his minions go I’m running on the assumption they’re not human (take a close look at those minions they are definitely not human)
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Well, I think we don’t really see whether or not Honest John has remorse for rounding up the kids and sending them to Pleasure Island, because we don’t follow him after that point in the story. He certainly seems to have become comfortable enough to follow through on it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t privately feel any remorse.
I admit, there’s little evidence that he feels conflicted or remorseful for it. There’s little dimension to his character beyond that, and it’s valid to read him as simply a remorseless conman. But I personally read his reaction to the Coachman as him feeling sad that he has to gather up the boys for this fate but feeling pressured into it. I prefer to read redemption into characters as often as I can and actively look for ways to do so.
Thanks for your comment!
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It’s been a few years since this column was posted but it just dawned on me that I did not remember any of this ugliness in Pinocchio. Maybe the latent (hidden) memories of this part of the story explains the widespread insistence on seeing this being played out in today’s politics. Walt must be rolling in his grave!
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I don’t know how pedophilia came in mind. The donkey thing is also in the original book.
In italian version, Coachman (butter man) is dubbed by the same Geppetto’s dubber.
Also, the funny thing is that in the italian version, when i was little, instead of hearing ‘lazy boys’ (ragazzi svogliati) I heared ‘underssed boys’ (ragazzi spogliati).
And then you see that the coachman truly undress the donkeys, so i though the adjective made perfect sense 😀
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