Walt Disney: A Life in Films

Other

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

WaltDisney Podcast

Documentaries

Podcasts

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Mel Giedroyc steps into the magical world of Walt Disney.

Mel Giedroyc steps into the magical world of Walt Disney, exploring his extraordinary life through the stories of ten of the much mythologised genius's best-loved works.

Walt Disney: A Life in Films: 2. Pinocchio

2. Pinocchio

BBC Radio 4 - Walt Disney: A Life in Films, 2. Pinocchio

Mel Giedroyc charts the creation of Walt Disney’s Pinocchio.

Mel Giedroyc charts the creation of Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, a film that saw Walt push the boundaries of technical mastery when it came to animation.

Through the stories of ten of his greatest works, Mel Giedroyc examines the life of Walt Disney, a much mythologised genius. A man to whom storytelling was an escape from an oppressive father and a respite from periods of depression.

His name is truly iconic, but how much do we really know about this titan of the entertainment industry? Who was the real Walt and why did a man who moulded Western pop culture in his image end up on his deathbed, afraid that he’d be forgotten?

In her second episode, Mel immerses herself in the story of Pinocchio. We might think of it as a sweet and innocent tale, but Disney's film is based on a dark fable by author Carlo Collodi and is a lot less sugary than you might remember.

The film was a box office flop, ramping up Walt’s financial woes, but would later go on to be recognised as a classic. Pinocchio was a project that saw immense creative ambition butt up against huge financial pressures. Mel reveals the challenges the animators had in nailing the movements of the titular puppet and the struggles to draw Pinocchio’s sidekick Jiminy Cricket in ways that didn’t leave him looking like a grotesque monster. 

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Walt Disney: A Life in Films

2. Pinocchio

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4