OPINION: Why Honest John Is One Of Disney's Funniest Characters

If it wasn’t already obvious, I am a huge Disney fan and I have been watching their art and content ever since I was a small child. I also remember seeing 1940s Pinocchio when I was very young, watching it in the basement and being terrified of the coachman scene.

I also watched the magical 2022 remake on Disney+ back in September and am still impressed with the results.

The reason I’m talking about these specific Disney movies is because they both harbor a character that is underrated and deserves the title of one of most entertaining Disney characters and his name is John Worthington Foulfellow or Honest John the Fox.

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Honest John, specifically in the 2022 remake, is probably one of the most entertaining characters to cross the silver screen. He comes onto the scene swinging around his cane with his cat lackey Gideon and swiftly notices the hapless puppet Pinocchio. Assuming that he can make a lot of money off the witless, wooden boy, John sells him to Stromboli while trying to seduce the puppet into a life of fame and stardom.

John’s flamboyant demeanor is much more exuberant and lively in the remake as Keegan Michael-Key dances across the screen parading in a CG fox mask that seems as natural as if the actor were performing on stage. His catchy lines were almost on par with that of the Genie from the film Aladdin.

READ: A New Live-Action R-Rated ‘Winnie The Pooh’ Project In The Works

Perfect Design

This might be a strange reason to love John and his funny personality but seeing a walking and talking fox with a top-hat, cane and a shower curtain as a robe, it looks like the most entertaining thing on the planet, especially when seeing it as close to live-action as seen in the Robert Zemeckis movie.

His zany design perfectly matches his audacious and outlandish character. His outgoing manner is the best yin to Pinocchio’s mild and innocent Yang. John never ceases to amaze us with his antics and has the propensity to even hold his own. It may be a long shot that we’ll ever see him in a sequel but perhaps Disney will be willing to bring the character back for a Disney+ series.