Geppetto is a kind toymaker in a small town who dreams of becoming a father. One night, after selling his new spring toys to the children of Villagio, his wish is granted by the Blue Fairy, who brings his wooden puppet, Pinocchio, to life with a gentle magic and explains that if he proves himself brave, truthful, and unselfish, he will one day become a real boy.
At first, Geppetto is overjoyed to have a son, but his happiness is tested by Pinocchio’s restless questions at bedtime, his constant mischief, and his tendency to wander away from the townspeople. The next day, he sends Pinocchio off to school, hoping the boy will blend in with the other children. Instead, Pinocchio ends up in a scuffle at school, imitating his peers and earning a disappointing look from his creator. When Geppetto returns home, he finds that the day’s troubles haven’t stopped, and a would‑be puppeteer named Stromboli shows interest, convinced that Pinocchio’s life onstage could become a lucrative act.
Geppetto pleads with the Blue Fairy, but she remains unconvinced by his account. He goes back to apologize to Pinocchio, only to discover that the boy has run away to join Stromboli’s troupe. Geppetto resolves to say goodbye by watching Pinocchio perform backstage, hoping for the best but fearing what may come.
Stromboli relishes Pinocchio as his star, profiting from the puppet’s talent. Yet when Pinocchio asks to be allowed to go, Stromboli refuses, asserting that their contract binds him. Geppetto arrives backstage, hoping for a farewell, but Stromboli explains that Pinocchio left after the show, claiming he wanted to see the world. Pinocchio’s escape leads to a tense chase, and Geppetto follows, with the Blue Fairy in pursuit to lend a hand.
Their journey leads them to a town called Idyllia, where they encounter an inept magician named Lezarno and Professor Buonragazzo. In this place, Buonragazzo and his son seem to promote an ideal, obedient ideal of childhood, claiming to create perfect children who always obey their parents. The pair join Geppetto and Pinocchio as they continue their quest, and soon the trio reaches a notorious place: Pleasure Island. There, Geppetto discovers the grim secret that the boys who arrive there are transformed into donkeys after riding a rollercoaster, a fate that has devastating consequences for any adult who dares to enter.
Because adults are not allowed on the island, Stromboli is expelled while Geppetto arrives just in time to take Pinocchio home. Yet Pinocchio rejects his father, telling him he doesn’t want to be a disappointment, and he immediately becomes a donkey once he rides the rollercoaster and is shipped to sea.
In a desperate chase, Geppetto slips aboard a moving boat, while Pinocchio dives into the sea to follow. The two are swallowed by a monstrous whale, where the donkey curse begins to wash away. Inside the whale, Pinocchio tells a string of lies, causing his nose to grow and tickling the whale’s uvula until they are propelled back to the surface.
Back at the toy shop, Stromboli arrives once again to reclaim Pinocchio under the old contract. Geppetto pleads with the Blue Fairy, who cannot intervene again in the same way, to grant one last wish. In a final act of magic, the Blue Fairy transforms Pinocchio into a real boy, banishes Stromboli with a wave of her wand, and changes the sign on Geppetto’s shop to read “Geppetto & Son,” signaling a hopeful future for the pair.
