Disney+ Day is here and fans are being served up a feast of updates regarding the streaming platform’s movies and films. Included in those updates is the upcoming live-action remake of the animated Disney classic, Pinocchio. On Friday, a new logo for the film, which will debut on Disney+ in Fall 2022, was unveiled.
Pinocchio follows the story of Geppetto, a kind, but lonely wood-carver who builds a puppet named Pinocchio and raises him as if he were a real child. The puppet, Pinocchio, longs to be a “real boy” and goes on an adventure in the hopes of making that dream come true. The film is directed by Back to the Future and Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and features a script co-written by Zemeckis and Chris Weitz (Cinderella, Rogue One; A Star Wars Story). The film also features Tom Hanks starring as Gepetto. Hanks is joined by Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy, Luke Evans as the Coachman, and the voices of Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (as Pinocchio), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Jiminy Cricket), Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John), and Lorraine Bracco (as new character Sophia the Seagull).
The live-action retelling of #Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, Luke Evans and the voices of Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key and Lorraine Bracco, directed by Robert Zemeckis is coming to @DisneyPlus in Fall 2022. ✨#DisneyPlusDay pic.twitter.com/ypbdXRudCW
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) November 12, 2021
Pinocchio is just one of the live-action adaptations of beloved classic Disney animated films that are currently in development. A live-action take on The Little Mermaid is also in the works. That film will star Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. That film is currently set to be released on May 26, 2023. While Pinocchio does not yet have a specific release date, it was announced last year that the film would debut directly on Disney+ and on Wednesday during Disney’s investor call, Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy revealed that the film will debut during the fourth quarter of 2022, which translates to sometime between July and September.
“Even with the disruption caused by COVID-19, we’ve been able to effectively manage our businesses while also taking bold, deliberate steps to position our company for greater long-term growth,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said last year. “The real bright spot has been our direct-to-consumer business, which is key to the future of our company, and on this anniversary of the launch of Disney+ we’re pleased to report that, as of the end of the fourth quarter, the service had more than 73 million paid subscribers – far surpassing our expectations in just its first year.”
Pinocchio will come to Disney+ in 2022.
Are you looking forward to the live-action Pinocchio? What is your favorite live-action adaptation of a beloved animated classic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.