Roberto Benigni originally conceived this project as a collaboration, with Federico Fellini directing it. When Fellini died, Benigni became its director.
This was the most expensive production in Italian film history, with a budget of about $45 million.
This is considered the first film in a non-English language to be nominated for Worst Picture at the Razzie Awards. However, it was the English dub, which was poorly received, that was nominated for Razzies, not the generally better received Italian, English-subtitled version.
In the United States, Pinocchio was lambasted by critics, in particular for the English dub and for the choice of Meyer as Benigni's voice, considered too young.
Director Roberto Benigni who also plays Pinocchio and Nicoletta Braschi who plays The Blue Fairy are married in real life.