Skip to main content

Disney+’s first Pinocchio trailer wishes upon a star

Disney+ Day is coming early this year, and Walt Disney Studios is celebrating with the debut of a new live-action remake of one of its most beloved animated classics, Pinocchio. And if the first trailer is any indication, the company has spared no expense in bringing the fairy tale to life for modern viewers.

Curiously, Pinocchio himself is almost completely absent from the trailer. Instead, Pinocchio’s father, Geppetto, gets most of the spotlight. As played by Tom Hanks, Geppetto is an aging puppeteer and toymaker who was never blessed with a family or a wife. Out of sheer loneliness and despair, Geppetto wishes upon a star to have a son of his own. Geppetto gets his wish when the Blue Fairy answers his prayer and brings Pinocchio to life. But that’s where the trouble begins.

Pinocchio | Teaser Trailer | Disney+

Since Pinocchio is a living puppet, he will be depicted through CGI with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth providing his voice. The trailer also confirms that other anthropomorphic characters from the film, like Jiminy Cricket and “Honest” John, will also be CGI creations. Additionally, it appears that Pinocchio’s journey will take him to dangerous places, including the malevolent Pleasure Island; which forces Geppetto to go off in search for his boy.

Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt co-stars in the film as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, with Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Keegan-Michael Key as “Honest” John, 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.

The first poster for Pinocchio.

Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit director Robert Zemeckis helmed the Pinocchio remake from a script he co-wrote with Chris Weitz. Zemeckis’ long-time collaborator, Alan Silvestri, will provide the score.

Pinocchio will premiere on September 8, only on Disney+.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
The witches return in first teaser trailer for Hocus Pocus 2
The Sanderson sisters smiling while at a fair in Hocus Pocus 2.

Nearly three decades ago, Disney released the original Hocus Pocus into theaters with Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson sisters, an evil trio of witches from the 17th century. Next year would have been the 30th anniversary, but the Sandersons simply couldn't wait another year before making their big comeback on Disney+. Now, Disney has released the first teaser trailer for the long-awaited sequel, Hocus Pocus 2.

Midler is reprising her role as Winnie Sanderson, alongside Najimy as Mary Sanderson and Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson. The sisters were vanquished and seemingly killed in the original Hocus Pocus. But they've never let death stop them before. The trailer also introduces the teenagers who accidentally bring the Sandersons back to life: Becca (Whitney Peak) and Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). These wannabe Wiccans are messing with powers beyond their control. And they will have to team up with their friend and fellow student, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), to stop the Sandersons' new reign of terror.

Read more
The Andor trailer and more news from Star Wars Celebration
Diego Luna in Andor.

Star Wars fans from around the world converged on the Anaheim Convention Center today in the hopes of getting exclusive news during the first day of Star Wars Celebration. And they were not disappointed. To kick off the very first panel of the day, Lucasfilm released the first trailer for its Rogue One prequel series, Andor.

Diego Luna will star in the series as Cassian Andor, the ruthless rebel operative who first appeared in Rogue One. Curiously, Cassian is barely in the trailer for the show that shares his name. But there's a real sense of paranoia and danger as the Empire expands. There are also fleeting glimpses of the show's supporting cast, including Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller.

Read more
Star Wars: Stories that still deserve Disney+ shows
Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG promo art featuring a collage of characters.

Though Lucasfilm is still on its sabbatical from putting Star Wars movies on the big screen, Disney+ has quickly made itself a secondary home to the epic sci-fi fantasy franchise in the meantime. Even when the IP returns to theaters in 2023, whichever movie that ends up being, the parent company's streaming platform will undoubtedly look to continue fleshing it out with TV shows. But as big as the galaxy far, far away is, there is still a wealth of lore ripe for tapping into.

While many supplemental Star Wars works were never truly considered canon even pre-Disney, the company effectively relegated almost everything else to Legends continuity when it bought the franchise for a staggering $4 billion. Lucasfilm has since been reintroducing elements of Legends stories in a piecemeal fashion, but there's still thousands of years' worth of history ripe for readapting.
The distant past of the Old Republic

Read more