How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Pinocchio.
Quote #1
HONEST JOHN: Remember, Gideon, the time I tied strings on you and passed you off as a puppet? We nearly put one over on that old gypsy that time.
This is an amazing scam and we wish that it worked. The appearance of Honest John and Gideon is our first indication that Pinocchio will be facing some seriously manipulative forces.
Quote #2
HONEST JOHN: A thing like that ought to be worth a fortune to someone. [...] If we play our cards right, we'll be on Easy Street.
Pinocchio is such a magical, one-of-a-kind creature that he seems like a gold mine to Honest John and Gideon. As it happens, these two are also the first people Pinocchio encounters when he leaves home for the first time, so this is a recipe for disaster.
Quote #3
HONEST JOHN: Then you haven't heard of the easy road to success.
PINOCCHIO: Uh-uh.
HONEST JOHN: No? I'm speaking, my boy, of the theater. [...] Bright lights! Music! Applause! Fame!
Honest John exploits Pinocchio's naivety by criticizing the uselessness of school and extolling the glory of theater. While we're obviously supposed to support Pinocchio becoming a scholar rather than an actor, that's an awfully funny message coming from an animated movie that uses—well—actors. Weird, huh?
Quote #4
PINOCCHIO: (singing) I've got no strings to hold me down / To make me fret or make me frown / I had strings, but now I'm free / There are no strings on me.
Listen closely to the lyrics of this song. Pinocchio is extolling the beauty of living life without strings, using that as a metaphor for freedom. There's just one problem—now that he's working for Stromboli, Pinocchio is anything but free. He'll learn this bummer of a lesson soon enough, however.
Quote #5
JIMINY: Well, guess he won't need me anymore. What does an actor want with a conscience anyway?
Pinocchio gets so bamboozled by Honest John and Stromboli that Jiminy almost quits his job, assuming that his ward is happier with his new acting pals. If only you knew, Jiminy...
Quote #6
STROMBOLI: To me, you are belonging. [...] You will make lots of money—for me. And when you are growing too old, you will make good firewood.
Stromboli finally lays down the law on Pinocchio, telling him that he belongs to him now. That's terrifying. Although Pinocchio was manipulated into joining the theater through stories of glory and beaucoup bucks, he now realizes that the stage might as well be a prison.
Quote #7
COACHMAN: ...And I takes 'em to Pleasure Island.
HONEST JOHN: Ah, Pleasure Island…Pleasure Island? But the law!
You know that something must be bad if Honest John is getting nervous about it. John is just your everyday, run-of-the-mill con artist—he's not used to the pure evil displayed by the nefarious Coachman.
Quote #8
HONEST JOHN: My boy, you are allergic.
PINOCCHIO: Allergic?
HONEST JOHN: Yes, and there is only one cure. A vacation. On Pleasure Island!
While it's worth critiquing Honest John for the way he manipulates Pinocchio, the truth is that Pinocchio is so naive he could be scammed by an intimate object. In fact, this is a reminder of why he needs Jiminy around in the first place.
Quote #9
LAMPWICK: Ever been to Pleasure Island? [...] They say it's a swell joint. No school, no cops. You can tear the joint apart and nobody says a word.
As we see here, most of the boys who are brought to Pleasure Island are regaled with stories about how wonderful it is, about how much freedom you can enjoy on its shores, and about how much insanity you can get into. But you know what they say, people—there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Quote #10
PLEASURE ISLAND ANNOUNCER: Right here, boys! Right here! Get your cake, pie, dill pickles, and ice cream! Eat all you can! Be a glutton!
Pleasure Island is a twisted place. First, it compels disobedient young men to indulge in all of their vices. Then, once that's taken care of, the Coachman rounds them up and transforms them into donkeys, which he then sells for a handsome profit. Like fish in a barrel.