Cri-Cri: The legendary Mexican children's songwriter who turned down Disney

Cri-Cri: The legendary Mexican children's songwriter who turned down Disney

For generations of Mexican-raised families, there’s a name that inevitably evokes the purest childlike joy and unfiltered excitement: Cri-Cri. A fictional cricket musician and beloved icon — who is widely believed in Mexico to have inspired the creation of Disney’s Jiminy Cricket character for the 1940 film “Pinocchio” — Cri-Cri has sung his songs, pranced around and delighted the Mexican imagination for nearly a century. Debuting in 1934, the t…