Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night

Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night is a 1987 American animated fantasy adventure film & unofficial sequel to the Disney film "Pinocchio."

Disney ended up suing Filmation for defamation and trademark infringement, but it was ruled against on the basis that Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel "The Adventures Of Pinocchio" was in public domain.

The voice-over actors in the film consist of Scott Grimes, Tom Bosley, Edward Asner, James Earl Jones, Don Knotts and Frank Welker.

Plot
The film is about Pinocchio and his friends (including a glow worm and a marionette) looking for a magic music box before the evil Scalawag and the Emperor of the Night get to it first.

Cast

 * Scott Grimes as Pinocchio
 * Tom Bosley as Mister Geppetto
 * Edward Asner as Scalawag the Raccoon
 * Lana Beeson as Twinkle
 * Linda Gary as Bee-atrice
 * Jonathan Harris as Lt. Grumblebee
 * James Earl Jones as The Emperor of the Night
 * Rickie Lee Jones as The Fairy Godmother/The Good Fairy
 * Don Knotts as Gee Willikers
 * Frank Welker as Igor the Monkey
 * William Windom as Puppetino

Box Office
"Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night" opened on Christmas Day 1987 in only 1,182 theaters and made $602,734 during its opening weekend.

The total domestic gross in the United States was $3,261,638.

Critical Reception
"Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night" received generally negative reviews from critics during its initial release.

Dave Kehr from the Chicago Tribune called it a "wooden effort" and concluded that there was "little reason to bother with Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night given that the genuine article is readily available on videotape".

Janet Maslin of the New York Times called the film "Saturday morning animation at best" and also compared it unfavorably with Disney's version.

Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the script and direction lacked focus and felt the movie "illustrates just how badly the American animated feature has degenerated".

Juan Carlos Coto praised the performances of Rickie Lee Jones and James Earl Jones, but felt the plot was mostly "Saturday-morning rehash" and also urged readers to watch the Disney movie instead.

The Morning Call's reviewer was more favorable, opining that "it does dazzle and sparkle in all the right places", adding "there is much to recommend the new film".

M. J. Simpson praised the "engaging story, likeable characters... genuine tension and horror, reasonable songs and... terrific animation" and gave it a B+ rating.