Pinocchio in Outer Space
Encyclopedia
Pinocchio in Outer Space was a Belgian-American animated film which sets Carlo Collodi
's Pinocchio
character on a rocketship adventure. Peter Lazer does the voice of Pinocchio. The film was produced by Ray Goossens
at Belvision Studios
, with American involvement from Norm Prescott
(Filmation
) and Fred Ladd
.
The French version was titled Pinocchio dans l'espace and the Dutch version was known as Pinocchio in de ruimte.
The film was released in North America
by Universal Pictures
. It was Universal's second animated film that it distributed (the first was The Snow Queen
) and its last one until 1986's An American Tail
, which is the first one it produced.
The talking cricket
character was not present in this production. Instead, Pinocchio's sidekick was Nurtle, an alien turtle, voiced by Arnold Stang
. Together they do battle against Astro, a marauding intergalactic whale who was seeking revenge after being abducted by a mysterious race of Martians.
Carlo Collodi
Carlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was an Italian children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...
's Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
character on a rocketship adventure. Peter Lazer does the voice of Pinocchio. The film was produced by Ray Goossens
Ray Goossens
Ray Goossens was a Flemish artist, animator and director best known for creating Musti.-Biography:Ray Goossens was born in Merksem, Belgium in 1924. Interested in animation from before World War II, he created the animation studio AFIM in Antwerp in 1940, together with Jules Luyckx and Henri...
at Belvision Studios
Belvision Studios
Belvision Studios was a Belgian animated cartoon studio best known for producing Hergé's Adventures of Tintin and other films and series in animation, and was active from 1956 until about 1976. One of their major achievements in animation was the production of Tintin and the Lake of Sharks....
, with American involvement from Norm Prescott
Norm Prescott
Norman "Norm" Prescott was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Studios. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he began his radio career in the Hub, becoming program director at station WORL in the late 1940s. He went to work for Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures Corp. in 1959, serving as...
(Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
) and Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd , is an American television and film writer and producer. He is notable as one of the first to introduce Japanese animated cartoons to North America....
.
The French version was titled Pinocchio dans l'espace and the Dutch version was known as Pinocchio in de ruimte.
The film was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
. It was Universal's second animated film that it distributed (the first was The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen (1957 film)
The Snow Queen is a 1957 Soviet animated film directed by Lev Atamanov. It was produced at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow and is based on the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen...
) and its last one until 1986's An American Tail
An American Tail
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must...
, which is the first one it produced.
The talking cricket
Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
character was not present in this production. Instead, Pinocchio's sidekick was Nurtle, an alien turtle, voiced by Arnold Stang
Arnold Stang
Arnold Stang was an American comic actor who played a small and bespectacled, yet brash and knowing big-city type.-Career:...
. Together they do battle against Astro, a marauding intergalactic whale who was seeking revenge after being abducted by a mysterious race of Martians.