Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night

This animated version of the spunky wooden puppet’s story has an easy-to-follow vigour and a surprising lot of narrative novelty even for people familiar with Disney’s classic.

Despite all of its elements that are individually deranged and visionary and feel like they were wrenched out of the pitch-black recesses of some underground animator's brain, the thing as a whole feels like such yawning, uninspired hackwork.

Unfortunately the dialogue is nearly joke-free and the cheapo animation would have the Disney of that 1940 gem showing Mr. Scheimer the door.

A cross between a 1980s cute and cuddly Saturday morning cartoon and a 1970s psychedelic rock album cover nightmare, this animated adventure is an impressive piece of art.

Throughout the film, Pinocchio acts in a manner convenient to the plot, but winds up looking like a downright blockhead, instead of a cartoon hero that a child can love or admire.

Practically everything else in this Pinocchio is ripped off from somewhere.