Skip to main content

Pinocchio comes to life in Disney+’s new live-action trailer

Pinocchio may not have been the first animated film produced by Walt Disney, but it has a major place in Disney lore. The 1940 animated classic still holds up well 82 years after its initial release, and its signature song, When You Wish Upon a Star, has become an anthem for the entire Disney company. For this year’s Disney+ Day, the studio is releasing a big-budget, live-action remake of Pinocchio. And this CGI wooden puppet looks uncannily like his conventionally animated counterpart in the new trailer.

Trailer 2 | Pinocchio | Disney+

It’s a classic story based upon Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and all of the familiar beats from the animated film are here. The trailer depicts Pinocchio’s first meeting with his adoptive father, Geppetto, as played by Tom Hanks. Pinocchio truly seems to love Geppetto, but he can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble. That’s why the Blue Fairy made Jiminy Cricket act as Pinocchio’s conscience. But there’s only so much a cricket can do when Pinocchio faces temptation.

Disney's Pinocchio from the forthcoming live-action remake.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The trailer shies away from depicting the horrors of Pleasure Island, which were really disturbing even in the animated flick. But we do see that Geppetto and Pinocchio become separated by their trials. And the only way Pinocchio can reunite with his father is by going deep within the belly of the great whale, Monstro.

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth provides the voice of Pinocchio, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy, Keegan-Michael Key as “Honest” John Worthington Foulfellow, Lorraine Bracco as Sofia the Seagull, Luke Evans as The Coachman, Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana (and her marionette Sabina), Giuseppe Battiston as Señor Stromboli, and Lewin Lloyd as Lampwick.

Robert Zemeckis directed the remake and co-wrote the script with Chris Weitz. It will debut on Disney+ Day on September 8.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
Leonardo DiCaprio faces dark times in new Killers of the Flower Moon trailer
Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Apple Studios hasn't been shy about loading up Apple TV+ with a large number of original films in order to fill out its cinematic library. So when an Apple movie is heading toward theaters with a wide release, it's a big deal. And it doesn't get much bigger than director Martin Scorsese dropping a new crime epic, Killers of the Flower Moon, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the leading roles. According to the new trailer's tagline, it's "based on a true American story," and it is. But it's not a happy story that makes the country look good. Instead, this is a dark tale of murder and greed.

Killers of the Flower Moon — Official Trailer

Read more
Is the 2023 live-action The Little Mermaid remake streaming?
Halle Bailey as Ariel in a poster for The Little Mermaid.

In 1989, The Little Mermaid marked the beginning of the Disney Renaissance, which revitalized the company's animation division and eventually led to Disney's emergence as the biggest studio in Hollywood. During the intervening decades, Disney has made a habit out of remaking its animated classics in live-action. Some are more successful than others, but The Little Mermaid has a special place in our hearts thanks to the timeless music and songs of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman.

For the remake, Hamilton star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined Menken for some new songs and a few revamped numbers. Additionally, singer and actress Halle Bailey stepped into the title role of Ariel, who was voiced by Jodi Benson in the original film. Rounding out the cast of the remake are Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Renfield's Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy.

Read more
The best live-action Disney remakes, ranked
Young Simba and Mufasa in the Pride Lands | Lion King VFX

Disney is the king of recycling its own property, with remakes of everything from Beauty and the Beast to Lady and the Tramp. Disney live-action remakes have almost become a genre unto themselves, with each one of them varying in their respective effectiveness.

The newest Disney remake, The Little Mermaid, just hit theaters on Friday, bringing yet another installment to Disney's growing library of remakes. Director Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid will make it the third live-action remake in the past two years, joining the ranks of Robert Zemeckis' poorly-reviewed Pinocchio and David Lowery's straight-to-streaming Peter Pan & Wendy. Whether you like it or not, Disney remakes are here to stay. Even Moana, which hit theaters in 2016, is already getting a live-action remake with star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returning.

Read more