Fabiana is a character featured in the 2022 live-action remake of Pinocchio. She is a puppeteer who used to work for Stromboli's puppet theater until his arrest for his cruel treatment to her.
Background[]
Fabiana is a young woman serving as Stromboli's employee for his puppet theater. She controls a ballerina puppet named "Sabina" whom Pinocchio thinks she will be his friend. Despite her injured foot, she is able to properly to control puppets during performances without complaining. However, when Stromboli is arrested for his cruel treatment, Fabiana started her own puppet theater called the "New Marionette Family Theater" where she now serves as the owner of her new puppet show. She is shown to have a kind personality to Pinocchio and also shows a good empathy to him, even when Fabiana controls her puppet Sabina while talking to him.
Role in the film[]
When Pinocchio is taken to Stromboli's puppet theater, Fabiana approaches him and explains to him that Stromboli has brought an unusual puppet for the theater, giving him her condolences and as Pinocchio introduces to Fabiana, she also introduces herself to him, fearing that she will never be famous for having a puppet like him perform on stage; however, she apologizes to him for having a rough day. Pinocchio asks her to know why she is putting strings on him, which Fabiana replies that the strings are part of the show. She then introduces Pinocchio to a ballerina named "Sabina" whom he thinks she could be friends with him while Fabiana and Pinocchio are readying themselves to perform on stage. Pinocchio then notices an injured leg on Fabiana explaining to her about how she injured her leg which she explains to him that how she got it was a long story just before she readies herself to control Sabina.
During the show when Pinocchio is performing the musical number "I've Got No Strings", Fabiana controls her puppet Sabina where she dances next to Pinocchio with a castle background behind them while Sabina pirouettes in front of the audience and after Sabina dances, various Cossack puppets dance in front of Pinocchio just as Pinocchio dances along with the Cossack puppets and after performance, the audience cheers for Pinocchio's performance as they throw coins at Stromboli.
After the show, Pinocchio later finds himself at Stromboli's Caravan where he realizes that Stromboli's puppet theater is a touring show while he hears Fabiana dancing and reciting for the next show where the puppet theater would perform at while singing the musical number "I Will Always Dance" and her puppet Sabina reciting for the next show where she dances with her puppet Sabina just as Pinocchio dances with Sabina only for Stromboli to arrive in the area and explains to Fabiana that nobody in his show performs for free, urging her to pack up for the next area where the show will perform at, much to Fabiana's worry while Stromboli tosses Pinocchio in a cage. After Stromboli leaves, Fabiana sneaks into the area where Pinocchio is caged at, giving Pinocchio alert about Stromboli being a cruel man, telling him that he will free him which Pinocchio refuses, explaining to him that she is a real person and the only real person he can trust is his father, Geppetto just before she leaves. Fabiana then controls her puppet Sabina, explaining to Pinocchio that she and Pinocchio are not formally introduced which Pinocchio introduces himself to her. Pinocchio recaps of him being famous in performing in Stromboli's puppet theater only for him to get locked up which Pinocchio trusts Fabiana and her puppet Sabina, just as she explains to Pinocchio that there is a key to help open his cage only for the conversation to be interrupted with Stromboli entering, causing Fabiana and Sabina to retreat; however, Pinocchio manages to escape though).
Later at the beach in a plan to find Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket hides below a deck while he sees a caravan nearby which he mistakes it for Stromboli's caravan only for Fabiana to appear instead just as the figure passing by is revealed to be Fabiana who is controlling Sabina who approaches Pinocchio. She then explains to Pinocchio that she has started her own puppet show known as the New Marionette Family Theater as she reveals that the Carabinieri arrested Stromboli for his cruel treatment to his own puppet show which she explains to him that she would be honored if he joins her new show, explaining to him to be the headliner, which Pinocchio tells her he has to find his father. Fabiana, who is controlling Sabina, explains to Pinocchio that something tells her that Pinocchio's decision to find his father is the right one. Just before leaving, Fabiana and Sabina explain to him that they will see him next year when Fabiana herself puts on a show in Siena which Pinocchio hopes to see when Pinocchio hugs Sabina and just before leaving, Fabiana and Sabina explain to Pinocchio to give him the best to find his father just as Fabiana and Sabina leave to go to the area where her new show will perform at. She and Sabina are not seen again after that.
Trivia[]
- Fabiana was created exclusively for the 2022 live action remake of Pinocchio and does not appear in the original 1940 animated feature film, nor in the original story by Carlo Collodi.
- However, her passion for dancing and her limp, might be a reference to Pinocchio's fate when he turned into a donkey in the novel: sold to a circus, Pinocchio is trained to do equine and dance tricks, thus getting the nickname of "the star of the dance". During his first and last show, distracted by the appearance of the disappointed Blue Fairy, Pinocchio trips and breaks a leg. Angry the circus director sells him off to a drum player which, in his attempt to drown and skin the donkey, restores Pinocchio to his original form.
