‘Pinocchio’: Release Date, Cast, and Everything We Know About Disney’s Upcoming Remake
Disney recently revealed the first trailer for its upcoming Pinocchio (2022) remake. Pinocchio is the latest Disney animated classic to receive the live-action movie treatment and it is not going to be the last. Now that there is more information available about this movie, here is everything we know so far about this upcoming remake.
Who is in the cast for Disney’s ‘Pinocchio’ remake?
Pinocchio is utilizing many of the iconic characters from the original 1940 movie. Tom Hanks is the main star and will be playing Geppetto, the woodcarver who brings Pinocchio to life. The wooden boy himself will be voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. Jiminy Cricket, the wise and guiding conscience, will be voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cynthia Erivo will play the Blue Fairy.
Rounding out the cast will be Luke Evans, Sheila Atim, Lewin Lloyd, Kyanne Lamaya, Giuseppe Battiston, Lorraine Bracco, and Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John. Geppetto’s pets, Figaro the cat and Cleo the goldfish, will also appear in the movie along with Honest John’s sidekick Gideon.
Will ‘Pinocchio’ follow the same story as the original?
The original movie is based on the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. However, the Disney version did not adapt most of the dark material from the novel to make it more family-friendly. Still, there are some frightening scenes in the Disney movie including the kids at Pleasure Island transforming into donkeys and the scene where Monstro attacks.
The first trailer showed off glimpses of some of these elements including Stromboli (Battiston), the wicked puppeteer who tries to kidnap Pinocchio and force him to perform. Evans is playing the coachman who takes the kids to Pleasure Island, meaning audiences will have to relive the trauma of seeing the kids scream for their mothers while turning into donkeys.
Disney’s live-action remakes often include some changes to the story. Sometimes the changes are minor like in The Lion King or they can be major like in Mulan. Pinocchio will probably not get too dark but it would be cool to see this remake keep some of the darker elements from the original. The remake is being directed by Robert Zemeckis who also directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which contained several horrifying scenes for kids.
Is ‘Pinocchio’ going to include the classic Disney songs?
“When You Wish Upon a Star” is the Disney anthem and debuted in the original Pinocchio. The song will be included in the movie and will be sung by Erivo. A brief clip of her singing the classic song can be heard in the first trailer. Other Songs from the original film will also be included in this remake including “I’ve Got No Strings” and “Give a Little Whistle.”
According to distractify.com, The score will be composed by Alan Silvestri, who previously worked with Zemeckis on the Back to the Future franchise and Forrest Gump. Silvestri and Glen Ballard are also writing new songs for the project.
Pinocchio arrives on Disney+ as a part of Disney+ Day on September 8.
