It was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, made after the first animated success Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
The plot involves an old Italian woodcarver named Geppetto who carves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio.
The puppet is brought to life by a blue fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish".
Pinocchio's efforts to become a real boy involve encounters with a host of unsavory characters.
The key character of Jiminy Cricket is based on a 100-year "wise, old" talking cricket from the original book, who warns Pinocchio of his impudence when they meet only to be killed in return shortly after, before returning as a ghost.
The film was adapted by several storyboard artists from Collodi's book.
The production was supervised by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske, and the film's sequences were directed by Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, and Bill Roberts.
Pinocchio was a groundbreaking achievement in the area of effects animation, giving realistic movement to vehicles, machinery and natural elements such as rain, lightning, smoke, shadows and water.
Pinocchio was released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on February 23, 1940.