Jiminy Cricket
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 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2006) |
| Jiminy Cricket | |
|---|---|
| File:JiminyCricket.jpg Jiminy Cricket in A Disney Channel Christmas | |
| First appearance | Pinocchio (1940) |
| Created by | Ward Kimball (from the unnamed cricket character originally created by Carlo Collodi) |
| Voiced by | Cliff Edwards (1940–1971) Eddie Carroll (1971–2010) Phil Snyder (2010–) Roger Carel (French) Georg Thomalla (German, film) Carlo Romano (Italian, film) Masashi Ebara (Japanese, Pony Canyon edition of the film) Kaneta Kimotsuki (Japanese, all other appearances) |
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" (Italian: Il Grillo Parlante), a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his classic novel Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney in 1940. Originally an unnamed, minor character in Collodi's novel, he was translated in the Disney version into a comical and wise partner who accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures, having been appointed by the Blue Fairy to serve as the official conscience for Pinocchio.
Origin of name
"Jiminy Cricket!" (sometimes rendered as "Jiminy Christmas!") was originally a minced oath for Jesus Christ. The name of the character is a play on the exclamation (which itself was uttered in Pinocchio's immediate predecessor, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Another example occurs in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. When the group first enters the Wizard's chamber, they are startled by the Wizard's sudden thunder-and-lightning display, and Dorothy (Judy Garland) cries, "Oh! Oh! Jiminy Crickets!" (Garland also says the expression in her 1938 film Listen, Darling). It had also been used as an exclamation by the Swedish father several times in the 1930 movie Anna Christie. Another time it is used is in the short 1938 cartoon starring Mickey Mouse The Brave Little Tailor.
Creating Jiminy
For the 1940 Disney film, the character was designed by Ward Kimball, who had been very disappointed and was about to leave the Disney studio when much of the work he did for Snow White was cut from the final version of that film. However, Walt Disney persuaded him to stay by giving him the assignment to design Jiminy.
Voice actors
Jiminy Cricket's voice was originally performed by singer Cliff Edwards,[1] who voiced the character for Disney through the 1960s. Jiminy's most famous song, as sung by Edwards, is When You Wish Upon a Star. After Edwards's death, Eddie Carroll replaced him as the voice actor for Jiminy. Carroll died in 2010. The third voice actor for Jiminy, Phil Snyder, began voicing him on May 19, 2010 in the Kingdom Hearts video game series. In his Italian adaptation, Jiminy is voiced by Carlo Romano, who also dubbed for Fernandel in the Don Camillo series, and in French, he is voiced by Roger Carel, also the voice of Asterix.
After Pinocchio
After Pinocchio, Jiminy appeared in Fun and Fancy Free as the host of the cartoon segments. The character also hosted a one-hour segment 1947 ABC Radio special, improbably concerning the year 1960. He also hosted many Disney television specials. In a recurring segment of the children's television series Mickey Mouse Club, he taught a generation how to spell "encyclopedia". He also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character, and also in Pinocchio's Daring Journey, a dark ride themed to the movie from whence he originated, found at three of the Disney parks worldwide (specifically in California, Japan and France).
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s
In the 1960s and 1970s, Jiminy Cricket appeared in four series of educational films aimed at grade-school-aged audiences. In the "I'm No Fool" series, he advised children how to steer clear of dangerous traffic, sharp objects, strangers, exposed electrical lines, and so forth. In each short, he sang the refrain:
I'm no fool, no sirree!
I'm gonna live to be 23 (then 53, 93, and finally 103)
I play safe for you and me
'Cause I'm no fool!
The second series was called "You", which teaches about the human body with the refrain "You are a human animal...". The third series was called "Nature of things" which combined live-action and animation. The fourth series was called "Encyclopedia".
for complete list of episode of those four serials see: List of Jiminy Cricket educational serials
In 1988, he made a brief cameo in Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He specifically is found as Eddie Valiant first drives through Toontown. In the 1980s he also appeared in Jimminy Cricket (P.S) educational film.
Other media
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Jiminy appeared in Mickey's Christmas Carol as the Ghost of Christmas Past (The badge given to him by the Blue Fairy at the end of Pinocchio marking him as an official conscience now declares him to be the Ghost of Christmas Past). Scrooge is perplexed at his size, but Jiminy shoots back at him that if he were measured by his amount of kindness, "you'd be no bigger than a speck of dust!" Nevertheless, he shows Scrooge past Christmases of him: (Scrooge) while working at Fezziwig's and the horrid memory where Scrooge put his money before his love, whom he never saw again. As Scrooge begs the minuscule ghost to take him away from these bad memories, Jiminy reminds Scrooge that "you fashioned these memories yourself."
Disney's Sing-Along Songs
Jiminy Cricket hosted these four sing-along videos:
- The Bare Necessities (October 13, 1987)
- Be Our Guest (June 19, 1992)
- Friend Like Me (April 30, 1993)
- Circle of Life (VHS version only; DVD version features a voiceover only) (December 13, 1994)
Disney's House of Mouse
He was also among the numerous Disney characters to appear in the television series House of Mouse. He also appeared in the movie. A running gag in the series involves Timon from The Lion King trying to eat him, but rescued by Pumbaa.
Disney's Halloween Treat
The Blue Fairy sees Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket.
Kingdom Hearts
He also appears in the Kingdom Hearts video game series as the chronicler of Sora's travels, writing journals and keeping a cast list of the figures they meet, friend or foe. In the original Kingdom Hearts, he has some direct involvement with characters and elements based on the film Pinocchio. He has a substantially bigger part in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, frequently talking to Sora and offering advice. His role in Kingdom Hearts II is smaller than in the first game, only making an appearance in one cutscene. In Kingdom Hearts coded, he finds a message in his journal he didn't write back at Disney Castle; to solve this, he and King Mickey digitize the contents of the note, awakening a virtual Sora. He is voiced by Eddie Carroll and Phil Snyder (following Carroll's death in 2010) in English and Kaneta Kimotsuki in Japanese.
Disney's Villain's Revenge
He is also an main character in the game Disney's Villains' Revenge where he must help the player save the stories of Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from the Ringmaster, The Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook and the Queen.
Disney park appearances
Jiminy Cricket can be seen meeting and greeting guests from time to time in the Disney Parks. His signature features the 'J' as an umbrella.[2] There is no set location to see him as there is for his charge, Pinocchio.
More recently, Cricket and the Blue Fairy are the hosts of the Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom theme park.[citation needed]
Cricket also hosts the Nighttime parade, SpectroMagic In the Magic Kingdom (replaced in early 2010 for an updated version of the Main Street Electrical Parade)[citation needed]
He is also on one of the floats in Magic Kingdoms Parade Celebrate A Dream Come True With Geppetto, Pinocchio, Snow White, and her Prince on the other side of the float.[citation needed]