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'Pinocchio': Tom Hanks wishes upon a star in first trailer for Robert Zemeckis' live-action Disney remake
Also starring Cynthia Erivo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film arrives on Disney+ Sept. 8.
It's time to leave those marionette strings behind with the first teaser trailer for Disney's live-action remake of its animated Pinocchio film from 1940. Locked in for a straight-to-streaming release this September in honor of Disney+ Day, the flesh-and-blood reimagining of the beloved story hails from director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) in his first team-up with Tom Hanks since 2004's The Polar Express.
Hanks leads the upcoming feature as Geppetto, a humble and mustachioed wood-carver whose wish for a son is suddenly granted when his latest creation — the titular Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) — is magically brought to life. As we all know, the newly-animated puppet must prove his worth to the Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo) before she agrees to turn him into a "real boy."
To help guide the wide-eyed protagonist on this winding journey to humanhood, Pinocchio gains an insectoid "conscience" in the form of the wise and top hat-wearing Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Of course, not everything goes according to plan as Pinocchio finds himself mixed up with shady individuals looking to advantage of his naïveté and lucrative status as a talking puppet. While the initial batch of footage doesn't actually show the main character in action, it does feature a number of familiar faces — from "Honest" John (Keegan-Michael Key) to Señor Stromboli (Giuseppe Battiston).
Watch the trailer below:
Lorraine Bracco (Sofia the Seagull), Luke Evans (The Coachman), Kyanne Lamaya (Fabiana and her marionette Sabina), and Lewin Lloyd (Lampwick) round out the main cast.
This is one of two Pinocchio projects scheduled to be released later this year. The second is a stop-motion adaptation of the original Carlo Collodi tales from filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Co-directed with Mark Gustafson, the film will be released by Netflix in December.
Zemeckis produced the live-action Disney remake alongside Derek Hogue, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz, and Paul Weitz. Jackie Levine, Jack Rapke, Alexandra Derbyshire, and Jeremy Johns are executive producers.
Pinocchio exclusively lands on Disney+ Thursday, Sept. 8 and will lead into D23 Expo (scheduled to run between Sept. 9 - 11).
Looking for some fantasy content to tide you over for the next four months? Click here for our list of the best fantasy films available on Peacock. Looking for other family-friendly movies? The Bad Guys is available in theaters and on demand now, and Minions: The Rise of Gru opens July 1.
