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Despite being very drunk and very old, Geppetto is able to chop down a whole tree, carve a piece out then almost finish Pinocchio in one night, he ultimately collapses from exhaustion and goes to sleep, but it is nonetheless impressive how far he got in making the puppet.
Pinocchio gets an unwitting one in church. When the Podesta questions Pinocchio who controls him, the little wooden boy (annoyed by such a pointed question) defiantly throws back the question with "Who controlsyou?" Granted Geppetto shuts him up afterwards, it was pretty gutsy of Pinocchio to acknowledge it. Without knowing it, Pinocchio just called out the Podesta on allowing his cruel viewpoints guide his actions.
Sebastian calling out Geppetto on how his earlier "You're such a burden" statement was thoughtless, and how he overall tries to mold Pinocchio to be like Carlo instead of accepting him with unconditional love. While it is a bit lessened by Geppetto immediately setting off to find his son (and even then it could be interpreted as him being affected by Sebastian’s words), it still counts as a big awesome moment for the conscience cricket.
Sebastian: Oh, now you want to find him. After all the things you said? After you called him a burden. A burden?! Why are you so blind? So, absolutely blind? The boy loves you. He has much to learn, but he loves you for who you are. Would it kill you to do as much for him?! You should start acting like a father; a real father. Not an old, stubborn goat who is so busy moaning and crying about his losses — me, me, me, poor me — that he cannot see the love he actually has.
Pinocchio having the moral fiber to stand up to Volpe for physically abusing Spazzatura for telling too much and trying to drive away his meal ticket.
Even though it's cut short by Volpe's speech about he's a "slave", Pinocchio also calls him out on how he's withholding money that was supposed to be sent to Geppetto. If not as satisfying as his "poop" song for Mussolini, it's rather impressive to see Pinocchio express righteous fury at hearing his beloved father is being denied the very money that was supposed to provide for him.
In order to screw over Volpe for his collective mistreatment towards them both, Pinocchio and Spazzatura cooperate to ruin his show by turning would-be fascist propaganda into an anti-fascist defamation song about how much Mussolini and his regime suck and even calling him "shit/poop" to his face. It angers Mussolini enough for him to order Pinocchio shot immediately. Pinocchio is immortal, so the outcome doesn't bother him much in the end, and he succeeds in completely screwing over Volpe's plans.
After Candlewick and Pinocchio both "win" their game of capture the flag, Candlewick's father calls them and hands his son a real gun, then orders him to shoot Pinocchio as a test of loyalty following the two defying their challenge to have fun and be friends, albeit initially conflicted Candlewick is ultimately able to stand up to his father about how he may view him as a weak coward, yet he's strong enough to refuse killing Pinocchio.
When Volpe ties Pinocchio to a makeshift pyre and plans on burning him alive, Spazzatura has a change of heart and attacks his master before causing him to plummet off a cliff to his gory death on some sharp rocks where he is splattered, while Spazzatura survives and is eventually rescued by Pinocchio.
The Podestà's death counts as this, not just because it's an abusive father meeting his timely end, not just because it's one less fascist to worry about, but because he's a stand-in for the Coachman. In most adaptations, he's the Karma Houdini who gets away with turning innocent boys into donkeys for profit, never heard of again after Pinocchio escapes his grasp. As of now, we finally have an adaption where we see our "Coachman" taste some form of poetic justice.
Pinocchio using his iconic nose-growing to make a pine tree big enough to bridge the gap to their escape from the Dogfish.
Fridge Brilliance: Usually, Pinocchio's lying (as well as his inability to do so) is framed as one of his biggest flaws in every adaption. This adaption isn't any different. But in fitting with the movie's theme about accepting yourself and your flaws, Pinocchio's biggest flaw is utilized as his biggest strength, bringing home the story's message. And it doesn't hurt that he does it at Geppetto's behest.
Pinocchio twice over pulling a Heroic Sacrifice to save Geppetto. First, he sets off a water mine in the Dogfish's throat so it wouldn't eat Geppetto, killing it in a way it'd make Martin Brody and Steven Beck proud. Then when this takes him back to Death, she lets it be known he can't return to the land of the living yet (as every time he dies, he has to wait a little longer before he goes back). But Pinocchio won't hear of it, as the drowning Geppetto doesn't have that sort of time. He insists he has to go back, regardless of Death's warning that if he revives too early, he'll lose his immortality. Indeed, when he returns, he uses all his remaining strength to carry Geppetto to shore.
