- “As I live and breathe...a fairy!”
- ―Jiminy Cricket upon witnessing the Blue Fairy for the first time
The Blue Fairy is a major character in the 1940 Disney animated feature film Pinocchio. She is a magical being who, fulfilling Geppetto's wish, transforms Pinocchio into a living being and later into a real boy. She also aids Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket throughout their adventures, both directly and from afar.
As one of only two female characters in the film (the other being Cleo), she is nevertheless the most powerful character in the cast; it is she who initially grants Pinocchio life and who ultimately decides whether or not he should become a real boy.
Background
Development
Design
In a story meeting of January 12, 1939, Walt Disney specified that the Blue Fairy was to 'give the appearance of loveliness... (but not look like) a glamour girl'. Early model sheets and inspirational sketches reflect this concept, depicting the character as an ethereal beauty with swirling, billowing clothes and loose, unkempt hair (to reflect the fact that the fairy has literally flown in). At some point in development, this design changed to a less ethereal figure, with human proportions. This final version of the character, with her glittery dress, solid hair, and more human proportions, suggests the inspiration of Jean Harlow and thus ultimately resembled the 'glamour girl' Disney had initially been anxious to avoid; however, Disney seemed pleased with this version of the character, whose newly-found sexual allure worked on both Jiminy Cricket and the men working on the film, who reportedly whistled on first seeing a color test of the Blue Fairy.
Animation
Jack Campbell's animation of the Blue Fairy closely followed live-action footage of Marge Champion (who was also the performance model for Snow White) under the direction of Hamilton Luske. Oskar Fischinger, a famous abstract filmmaker from Germany who had been hired by Disney primarily to help with Fantasia's abstract Toccata and Fugue in D Minor segment, was responsible for animation of the Blue Fairy's magic, including the effects surrounding her when she first enters the workshop and the beams of light emanating from her wand.
Appearances
Pinocchio
The Blue Fairy having brought Pinocchio to life.
The wishing star is first referred to in the film's opening song (with the Blue Fairy herself perhaps referred to in the song as "Fate herself"). When Jiminy Cricket begins his story, the wishing star is looking over Pinocchio's village, and it and the other stars are 'shining like diamonds'. It is not mentioned again in the film until, inside Geppetto's Workshop. After Figaro has opened the window, Geppetto notices the Wishing Star, and wishes that the marionette Pinocchio becomes a real boy. Everyone in the workshop falls asleep; soon, however, Jiminy is woken by an ethereal glow caused by the star as it moves closer and closer to the window. Eventually, the Blue Fairy herself appears in the workshop, stating that Geppetto deserves his wish after the happiness he has brought to others. She walks to Pinocchio and, tapping the puppet with her wand, grants him life. She tells him that he must learn the difference between right and wrong in order to become a real boy. When Pinocchio appears not to understand, Jiminy interrupts to explain, and the Blue Fairy offers him the position of conscience to Pinocchio. Somewhat dumbstruck by her beauty, he agrees and is granted a new suit befitting his status. The Blue Fairy then leaves, reminding Pinocchio to "be a good boy, and always let your conscience be your guide."
The Blue Fairy next appears after Stromboli has locked Pinocchio in a cage; the showman intends to use the wooden boy to make an enormous amount of money. Ashamed of doing the wrong thing, Pinocchio attempts to hide when he sees the wishing star approaching the caravan, though both he and Jiminy are spotted. The Blue Fairy asks Pinocchio why he did not attend school that day; lying, he concocts a ridiculous story that he was kidnapped by two monsters, who put him into a sack and threatened to chop him into firewood. As his lie grows, his nose becomes longer until it resembles a tree limb, complete with bird's nest. The Blue Fairy informs him that "a lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face". When Pinocchio promises to tell the truth from then on, the Blue Fairy returns his nose to normal and frees him from the cage with a tap of her wand.
She does not appear in person for the rest of the film - in keeping with her 'warning' as she frees Pinocchio from the cage that this is the last time she can help him - although she offers some indirect assistance. When Pinocchio is on Pleasure Island, while other boys were being turned into donkeys and then sold to salt mines by the Coachman, Jiminy warns Pinocchio to follow his lead to prevent the curse from taking a foothold, with his role as the Fairy's proxy allowing Pinocchio to escape his own transformation.
After the two return home and see Geppetto's abandoned workshop, the Blue Fairy, in the form of a dove, drops a message that Geppetto learned about Pleasure Island and set sail in order to rescue Pinocchio, but his boat was swallowed by Monstro the Whale. Presumably, this "bonus help" was due to the fact that Pinocchio had gotten back on track by listening to Jiminy (as well as ceasing his bad boy behavior unlike Lampwick) and that Jiminy would not have realized that Geppetto had been attacked by Monstro as they were making their way back to the village. Pinocchio's dangerous decision to try and rescue Geppetto (even over Jiminy's objections) was the final test in order to see whether or not he had what it takes to become a real boy.
Pinocchio's selflessness in rescuing Geppetto from Monstro costs him his life, as he drowns while saving Geppetto from the same doom. As Geppetto and Jiminy mourn Pinocchio's death, the Blue Fairy appears, saying that Pinocchio has proven his heroism and rewards him by returning him to life, reversing the Coachman's donkey curse, and ultimately changing him into a real human boy. She also gives Jiminy a golden badge, declaring him Pinocchio's official conscience.
House of Mouse
The Blue Fairy in House of Mouse.
In the animated series House of Mouse, the Blue Fairy makes occasional appearances.
Her most notable appearance in the series is in the episode "Jiminy Cricket", where Pain and Panic try to lead Pinocchio down the path of evil. When Jiminy becomes convinced that he is no good at being Pinocchio's conscience, Mickey Mouse wishes to help, resulting in the Blue Fairy reassigning Jiminy to be Mickey's conscience. In the end, when Jiminy and Pinocchio are reunited, Pain and Panic mock the moment until the Blue Fairy reappears and turns them into ashes.
Other appearances
The Blue Fairy makes a few cameos in the Teacher's Pet movie in Spot Helperman's dreams. Due to the show's art style, the Blue Fairy looks noticeably different than her past appearances.
Live-action appearances
Geppetto
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Geppetto.
She was portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the 2000 TV Movie Geppetto.
During the film Geppetto tries to have The Blue Fairy take back her wish since Pinocchio is not a perfect well behaved child, which she refuses to do, telling him her magic is not a fix all solution. After some prodding she finally sends Geppetto off to fetch Pinocchio, still refusing to undo the wish. During the quest Stromboli makes a deal with Pinocchio signing him to a contract, to grant him ownership of Pinocchio for the entirety of his life. When Geppetto learns to love Pinocchio, realizing that children are not perfect, he learns of Stromboli's deal and begs that the Blue Fairy undo the contract, which she regretfully tells him is impossible. Geppetto makes one final wish that she turn him into Stone or clay, for life without Pinocchio would be life without his heart. This act gives the Blue Fairy incentive to turn Pinocchio into a real boy, stating that Pinocchio couldn't be a real boy without having a real father.
Once Upon a Time
The Blue Fairy in Once Upon a Time.
In the ABC original series, The Blue Fairy plays a supporting role only seen in the Enchanted Forest, and is portrayed by Keegan Connor Tracy. Her Storybrooke counterpart is Mother Superior. She first appears in "Pilot". She creates an enchanted quill which helps Cinderella and Prince Thomas imprison Rumplestiltskin. She also transforms Jiminy Cricket into a real cricket, guiding him to help Geppetto after his parents were turned into puppets. In "Dreamy", she instructs a novice fairy, Nova, on how to distribute fairy dust. Later on in that episode, she and the dwarf Bossy convince Nova to end her relationship with Dreamy (later, as a result of the breakup, Grumpy) in order for Nova to become a fairy godmother. In "The Return", it is revealed that Rumplestiltskin's son, Baelfire, asked for her help in defeating Rumplestiltskin's curse. She gives him a magic bean to send him and his father to a world without magic. Rumplestiltskin, however, does not want to let go of his magic, and refuses to leave with him.
He later confronts the Blue Fairy, who says that Baelfire had taken the last bean and that there is now no way to cross between the worlds - starting Rumplestiltskin's quest for the Dark Curse, which he spent the next several centuries searching for. She presents the idea of putting Snow White (and, unbeknownst to Snow, Pinocchio) into a wardrobe that can protect those in it from the Dark Curse.
The Blue Fairy's counterpart, Mother Superior.
In Storybrooke, she is Mother Superior, the head of Storybooke's convent. She appears in the "Dreamy" episode, and appears unaware of her magical identity. She is also seen in a Land Without Magic in Henry's hospital room. After Emma Swan breaks the Dark Curse, Mother Superior and the other fairies (who had been nuns in the convent) acknowledge her previous existence as the Blue Fairy. When Henry requests that she do some magic, she responds by stating that although she can feel the magic released into the town by Mr. Gold, she cannot use it because magic works differently in Storybrooke. Peter Pan's shadow later tries to kill her, which appears to work until the shadow is destroyed and she comes back to life. She and the other fairies are trapped in the Sorcerer's hat by Captain Hook under Rumplestiltskin's orders for six weeks, after which Regina Mills frees them. She then tends to Pinocchio (now a grown man named August), who is suffering the effects of having transformative spells used on him too many times.
Printed Media
Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy
She appears in the novel as a student of the Fairylands Academy when Maleficent was a teenager. She is one of the students along with Maleficent, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather that are taking their final exams to see if they are capable of wish granting by helping someone. She is the only fairy at the academy who is kind to Maleficent unlike the other fairies.
Video games
Disney's Villains' Revenge
The Blue Fairy's role is minor in the game. After Jiminy rips out the happy ending pages and the four villains of the stories fail to steal the happy ending pages, the Blue Fairy appears. She tells Jiminy and Pinocchio (the player who is unseen and unheard) that with the happy endings gone, the villains have started to change the stories. She tells them they must go to fix them, and enchants the book, allowing the player to enter.
When the player does something wrong or are killed, they are returned to the room where the Blue Fairy offers them tips or tells them to do the right thing. Once they have completed the four stories and defeated the villains for a second time, The Blue Fairy shows a fifth story was added to the story book of their adventures, and enchants a few toys in the room as mini games. She also says the player can return to the book and replay the stories as many times as they wish before vanishing completely.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
The Blue Fairy makes an appearance in her homeworld Prankster's Paradise, where she arrives at the scene and gently scolds Pinocchio for lying to Jiminy. Pleading for the Blue Fairy to help his nose return to normal, Pinocchio promises to never lie again. The Blue Fairy forgives him, but before returning his nose to normal and releasing him from the cage, she warns he will remain a puppet forever if he keeps lying. She later appears before Sora to tell him that Geppetto had been swallowed by Monstro, and that Pinocchio and Jiminy ran off to find the whale to save him.
She is voiced by Rosalyn Landor in English, and Japanese voice by Miyuki Ichijo.
Disney Parks
The Blue Fairy at one of the Disney parks.
The Blue Fairy appears occasionally in Disney Parks around the world. She is usually found in Disneyland.
Disneyland
She appears in the ending scene in all versions of Pinocchio's Daring Journey.
In the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Blue Fairy makes notable appearances in both versions. In Disneyland's version, she was a staple part of the parade but was recently removed and replaced by a Tinker Bell float.
She would also make an appearance during the former firework spectacular Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations granting Geppetto's wish.
Walt Disney World
She has her own spell card known as "The Blue Fairy's Wand Wish" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.
In the nighttime spectacular Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, the Blue Fairy hosted along with Jiminy Cricket. In contrast to Jiminy, she only makes a few speaking appearances.
Tokyo Disney Resort
In Jubilation!, the Blue Fairy could be seen in an extremely tall standard in the parade. She rides in a carriage driven by Pegasus. She also made a quick appearance in the opening montage of Once Upon a Time bringing Pinocchio to life with her wand.
Gallery
Trivia
- The Blue Fairy is the opposite in appearance of the Fairy in Carlo Collodi's original story. In the story, the Fairy has turquoise hair, giving her the name, but wears normal clothing; she lives at first in a cottage in the woods and later in a house on Busy Bee Island, and has no connection to a wishing star. Additionally, she is mostly depicted as youthful and childlike and Pinocchio considered her to be his mother.
- The Blue Fairy is the only major female character in the movie other than Cleo, but the latter has no speaking parts.
- The Blue Fairy appears as a statue at the end of the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
- Although not part of the Disney Princess franchise, she was present in an early image of the franchise, along with the Disney Princesses.
- Most of her facial expressions are very similar to Snow White's, no doubt because she shared the same live model for the animators, Marge Champion. Some of her facial expressions were also used as an inspiration for Cinderella.
- Unlike all of the other characters in the film, the Blue Fairy was animated via rotoscoping rather than by freehand.
References
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