Pinocchio vs. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

The movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence references Pinocchio multiple times. There are many symbols and comparisons in the book to Pinocchio. The movie has parts of the book read out loud and figures of the story present. Both A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Pinoccio are about artificial boys whose only goals are to become real boys. Both David and Pinocchio learn similar lessons and go on a similar adventure in order to learn what it truly means to be a real boy. 

Pinocchio and David are both naive in the beginning of their life. They are very curious about the world and what it is like to be finally living. In A.I. Artificial Intelligence, David follows Monica around the first day he is there so he can see all she does. This scared Monica because she is not used to him but David does not understand he is doing anything wrong. To him he is having fun and keeping her company as she works. No one has taught him the weirdness of following someone around. On Pinocchio’s first day he ran out of Geppetto’s house because he was curious about what was out in the world; he did not want to be stuck in the old house. Pinocchio was quickly taught the wrongness of running out and learned how important his father was to him. Both David and Pinocchio had much to learn about how the world works and were not able to get that information from Monica and Gepetto. When Monica dropped David off in the woods she said she was sorry she could not teach him more about the world. People assumed Pinocchio and David knew how the world worked from the beginning and wouldn’t make mistakes. Because people called them a marionette and a Meca they forgot that at the end of day they were real boys the whole time and real boys make mistakes. Because of their naivety both David and Pinocchio easily trusted those around them.

Both Pinocchio and David easily trusted people because they wanted to make their parents proud and to learn what it was to be a real boy. Because of this easy trust, though, they were betrayed multiple times and were shown as disobedient boys. David easily trusted Martin when he told him to cut Monica’s hair because he was told Monica would love him more if he did. After he did this Henery lost all trust in David. In that scene David’s confusion is easily seen on his face. David knew it was wrong to cut Monica’s hair but he trusted Martin because Martin was a real boy and David wanted to be just like him. Pinoccio believed the fox and cat easily about planting his money because he wanted to give the money to Geppetto. He wanted to make sure his father could have a good life but instead he disappointed the fairy and lost his way. David and Pinoccio trusted so easily because they did not know otherwise. All they wanted was to be more loved by their parents and to make them proud. Both were naive and fell for the words of others who wished them harm without second thought. If they had been taught by those close to them or someone kinder like Gigolo and the Blue fairy earlies then they would have made a lot less bad decisions. Both Pinocchio and David weren’t disobedient children, just little boys who were misled and still learning about how the world works.

Pinocchio and A.I. Artificial Intelligence also had very similar characters. Teddy was very similar to the cricket like in the Pinocchio movie. Teddy acted like a conscience for David many times throughout the movie. When Martin was antagonizing David about how he could eat food and David couldn’t Teddy warned David that if he ate food he would break himself. LIke Pinocchio, though, David chose to ignore his conscience. He would rather have found out for himself than to be told the truth. In the movie, Jiminy warns Pinoccio about the fox and cat and how they simply want to take advantage of him. Both Pinocchio and David thought they knew better than Jimminy and Teddy. In the end, though, their conscience became their best friend. David relied very heavily on Teddy and carried him with him wherever he went. Whenever Pinocchio was in trouble he was always very relieved when Jiminy showed up and saw him as a close friend. Another character in A.I. Artificial Intelligence that was similar to a Pinocchio character was Gigolo. Gigolo was like the blue fairy for David. In the book version of Pinocchio whenever he was lost the blue fairy would always be there to help. Pinocchio saw the blue fairy as a sister just like David saw Gigolo as a brother. The blue fairy was there for all of Pinocchio’s adventure walking him through it and teaching him valuable lessons that made him see what a real boy is all about. Gigolo was there for David's adventure as he learned to be a real boy as well. Gigolo was the one who taught David how the world actually worked. He led David through his adventure and saved him when he was in trouble just like the blue fairy did for Pinocchio. When Gigolo and David reach the “blue fairy” there is a quote on the door that reads “Come away O human child To the waters of the wild With a fairy hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping Than you can understand.” After Gigolo reads this phrase he reaches out to David symbolizing he is the blue fairy walking hand in hand with David and protecting him from the weeping world. In the end of both Pinocchio and A.I. Artificial Intelligence it is the blue fairy and Gigolo that finally reward the boys for being real boys. In Pinocchio, the blue fairy makes Pinocchio a real boy and gives him and Geppetto riches so they can live happily. In A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Gigolo sends David down to watch the statue of the blue fairy. He knows this is what will make David see he is a real boy. Gigolo's last words to David are “I am…I was.” Because David Gigolo was able to die happily and see it also had a lasting impact and was not just some other robot. When the blue fairy last visited Pinocchio she was very happy about the boy he had become. Both Gigolo and the blue fairy watched the two boys learn what it meant to be real and were very proud of the boys they became. A.I. Artificial Intelligence took many inspirations from Pinocchio’s characters. 

A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Pinocchio are very similar. Both Pinocchio and David start their journeys with a strong love for their parents. Because they are boys, though, they don't know how to truly show this love to them. Both David and PInocchio get in trouble multiple times because of their naivety to this new world. They trust easily and it causes them both to get into trouble multiple times. Pinocchio and A.I. Artificial Intelligence has many similar characters that teach Pinocchio and David the lessons of the world and are with them throughout their adventure. David and Pinocchio learn what it is to be a real boy through their adventures. In the end, the biggest comparison between David and Pinocchio is they were both real boys the whole time.