AllMovie

Pinocchio in Outer Space is actually a better little film than its title would indicate. In fact, it would be an even better film were Pinocchio taken out of the film altogether and simply replaced with a normal little boy with some sort of quest and fondness for space. There's really no point in having the main character be the famous puppet (other than to provide a name that has commercial appeal), and the details that relate to Pinocchio could easily have been altered. (This would also have avoided the rather troubling gimmick of stating that Pinocchio has been such a bad boy that he reverted back to a puppet from the human self he had become at the end of the original story.) Those who know Pinocchio from the famous 1940 classic will have trouble recognizing him, as he (understandably) bears no resemblance to the Disney version, but the character design, if bland, is still acceptable. Indeed, that applies to most of the character designs -- nothing to write home about and somewhat dull, but not bad. The animation is also pretty good -- not Disney level, but far above what was found on TV at the time. And the backgrounds are quite good, occasionally exceptional. It's the story and screenplay that are lacking (which will not bother the kids too much) but the same may not be true for the adults.