大象传媒

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鈥檇 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 sidekick Jiminy Cricket in ways that didn鈥檛 leave him looking like a grotesque monster.

A Novel production for 大象传媒 Radio 4