At last, the first teaser for Disney’s Pinocchio is here. Not Guillermo Del Toro’s dark and twisted retelling of the famous Carlo Collodi fairytale, but Disney’s own take on the 1940 classic. Starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the voice of Pinocchio, Disney’s live-action remake is spearheaded by Robert Zemeckis, a legendary director known for cult classics like Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Polar Express. In addition to Hanks and Ainsworth, Pinocchio stars Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy, Luke Evans as The Coachman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket.
Alongside the release of its teaser, Disney has unveiled the first poster for Pinocchio, which features the wooden puppet strolling along a cobblestone path, silhouetted by the warm glow of a sunrise backdrop. Walt Disney Studios unveiled the image on its social media pages, captioning the poster, “Here’s the first star you’ll see today. Check out this brand-new poster for Pinocchio!”
Penning the screenplay, Zemeckis is joined by Chris Weitz, best known for working on American Pie and About a Boy. Like most Disney live-action adaptations, Pinocchio is skipping a theatrical run and heading straight to Disney Plus.
This decision is largely based on the box office failure of Disney’s Dumbo, the 2019 remake of the 1941 animated film. Additionally, Pinocchio was moved to Disney Plus following the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, it was announced that Pinocchio would release on Sep. 8, 2022 — a date that has since been confirmed in the teaser.