For the past decade, Walt Disney Studios has been going back through its library of animated films and reimagining them in live action. So far, Disney has found commercial success with releases of massive movies like Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Aladdin. Among what’s coming next, Robert Zemeckis is bringing back 1940’s Pinocchio starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto, and we’ve just received a first look at it.
Ahead of the studio releasing Pinocchio this September for those with a Disney+ subscription, you can check out Tom Hanks as the creator of a doll who comes to life. Here is the first look at 2022’s Pinocchio:
Tom Hanks looks great as Geppetto with some grey curly locks, a mustache and tattered clothing. The beloved actor has played many iconic roles in the past, including voicing another famous Disney toy, Toy Story’s Woody. Now we just have to wonder how the actor will portray the character in the Disney+ film.
In the first Pinocchio image, Geppetto looks directly at his creation, and interestingly enough, he looks exactly like the animated character from the original movie. We’re certainly curious how that’ll look like when Pinocchio is walking around the streets of Italy and such. The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who previously helmed Hanks in Forrest Gump, Cast Away and The Polar Express, along with making the Back to the Future trilogy and, most recently, Welcome To Marwen and The Witches.
Along with Tom Hanks taking on the role of Geppetto, the production has a killer cast. The Haunting of Bly Manor’s Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is playing Pinocchio, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Jiminy Cricket, who is the boy’s guide through his journey to become a real boy. Broadway star and Harriet actress Cynthia Erivo will play the Blue Fairy, who famously sings “When You Wish Upon A Star” in the original film. Keegan-Michael Key will play “Honest” John, the red fox from the original, and Disney's Gaston, a.k.a. Luke Evans, will play another villain with The Coachman, the big bad of our childhood nightmares.
With Disney setting Pinocchio’s release for this September, this version of the character will beat out Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion take on Pinocchio by just a couple months. The Pan’s Labyrinth and Shape of Water filmmaker is also tackling the fairy tale for Netflix this December. The Netflix Pinocchio will star David Bradley as Gepetto, Ewan McGregor as Cricket along with Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro and Christoph Waltz among the cast. Guillermo del Toro’s film released a trailer back in January.
The Pinocchio image is just a first peek, with more sure to come throughout the year, but it looks like it’s the first straightforward Disney live-action remake since 2020’s Mulan. Also to come is Peter Pan & Wendy hitting Disney+ sometime this year, as well and The Little Mermaid hitting theaters on May 26, 2023.
