How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Pinocchio.
Quote #1
JIMINY: (singing) When you wish upon a star / Your dreams come true. Pretty, huh? I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that, about a wish coming true, do you? Well, I didn't, either.
From the first frame, Pinocchio makes it clear that wishes have transformational, life-changing implications. It is a Disney movie, after all. What's more, it begins by challenging us to take our skepticism and cynicism and toss them aside for a mere ninety minutes. For you, Jiminy, we'd do anything.
Quote #2
GEPPETTO: Look at him, Figaro. He almost looks alive. Wouldn't it be nice if he was a real boy?
Although Geppetto is a warm dude, he doesn't have a family to shower his affections on. As a result, he finds himself longing for his puppet Pinocchio to transform into a real boy. That's a lot easier said than done, pal.
Quote #3
GEPPETTO: I wish that my little Pinocchio might be a real boy. Wouldn't that be nice? [...]
JIMINY: A very lovely thought, but not at all practical.
Jiminy plays the skeptic throughout the film, acting as an audience stand-in of sorts. Like him, we don't believe in magic, or wishing stars, or magical blue fairies who make dreams come true. How on earth could a puppet transform into a real person?
Quote #4
THE BLUE FAIRY: Good Geppetto, you have given so much happiness to others. You deserve to have your wish come true.
Having a fairy around sure is convenient, huh? Still, it's notable that the fairy only rewards Geppetto because he's done so much good for others. If he had been some schmo who cuts in line at Starbucks or takes handicap parking spots then he'd get zilch.
Quote #5
THE BLUE FAIRY: To make Geppetto's wish come true will be entirely up to you.
PINOCCHIO: Up to me?
THE BLUE FAIRY: Prove yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish and someday you will be a real boy.
The Blue Fairy has one more surprise in store for our band of mortals—Pinocchio won't complete his transformation until he proves his moral fortitude. In this way, the Blue Fairy isn't merely seeking to transform Pinocchio on the outside, but also on the inside. That part's a lot easier said than done, however.
Quote #6
COACHMAN: Give a bad boy enough rope, and he'll soon make a jackass of himself.
Although this seems like little more than a silly throw-away line at first, we quickly realize that this cantankerous coachman is speaking literally. Dude has issues.
Quote #7
JIMINY: So this is where I find you! How do you ever expect to be a real boy? Look at yourself—smoking, playing pool.
Jiminy is ticked off when he discovers Pinocchio getting all debaucherous on Pleasure Island. The Blue Fairy made one request of him—that he be brave, truthful, and unselfish (okay, three requests)—and Pinocchio completely botched it.
Quote #8
COACHMAN: And what might your name be?
DONKEY: Alexander.
COACHMAN: So you can talk.
DONKEY: Yes, sir. I want to go home to my mama!
As we learn, the coachman uses Pleasure Island as an elaborate way to transform disobedient young men into donkeys. In many ways, we can see this as a bizzaro reflection of Pinocchio's own potential transformation into a human.
Quote #9
[Donkey ears and tail sprout from Pinocchio's body.]
Although Pinocchio doesn't go full donkey, the sudden sprouting of a donkey's ears and tail shows how close he's gotten to ruination.
Quote #10
[Pinocchio is lying unmoving in Geppetto's bed, presumably dead. The Blue Fairy brings him back to life and turns him into a human.]
After rescuing Geppetto from within Monstro's belly, Pinocchio sacrifices his life to save his surrogate father. It's a powerful moment. What's more, it represents Pinocchio finally living up to the Blue Fairy's words and earning his humanity.