Disney+ Pinocchio (2022)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Pinocchio (2022)

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Family

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Tom Hanks, Luke Evans, Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, Giuseppe Battiston, Sheila Atim, Hannah Flynn

Release: 2022-09-08

Plot: A live-action adaptation of Disney's 'Pinocchio'.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Here we go again on the Disney live-action remake train. For a movie called Pinocchio, the teaser trailer made the curious decision to exclude Pinocchio. It focuses on pretty much everything else but him. I know it is just a teaser, but still. It makes me wonder if they are trying to hide something.

But Robert Zemeckis is certainly a talented director and he has a good cast here. I love the animated film, which was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater when I was four years old. I don't know if anybody was really asking for it to be remade. But if they were going to do it anyway, at least they have assembled a talented group here.

Tom Hanks seems right for Gepetto, which isn't surprising. It sounds like they are giving "When You Wish Upon A Star" to Cynthia Erivo, which is exciting. She is a phenomenal singer and will do the song beautifully. But based on the clips of him in the trailer, CGI Jiminy Cricket seems like the weird bootlegged version of the character from Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Hopefully he comes off better in the context of the actual film.

This film was greenlit for Disney+ and will premiere on the service on Tuesday, September 8. Incidentally, this will be Zemeckis' second streaming film in a row following The Witches. WB rerouted that movie exclusively to HBO Max in North America during the first year of the pandemic.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well, since it's only streaming on Disney+, I don't see a problem with another remake. Either you watch it or you don't as it's not costing anybody more monies to watch the movie.

 

[Dick]

Well, since it's only streaming on Disney+, I don't see a problem with another remake. Either you watch it or you don't as it's not costing anybody more monies to watch the movie.

Presumably (?) there will be a blu-ray release...

But I'd be REALLY excited if the GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO, also this year (but from Netflix) and using stop-motion animation, had an eventual physical release.

 

[Desslar]

I know they are doing it for the money, but I still don't really see what these live action remakes add to the original films. If they have to be remade, I would rather see them fully animated, only of course with today's cutting edge computer animation.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I know they are doing it for the money, but I still don't really see what these live action remakes add to the original films. If they have to be remade, I would rather see them fully animated, only of course with today's cutting edge computer animation.

They're not trying to add to the original films. They're making the remakes for younger generations. The original films are still available to watch for those interested in them.

 

[Desslar]

They're not trying to add to the original films. They're making the remakes for younger generations. The original films are still available to watch for those interested in them.

True. And you reminded me that another motivation for Disney to do remakes is to hold on to the IP.

I do think older effects-heavy live action films offer a big opportunity for improvement via remake. 20,000 Leagues was a good choice for Disney to redo with modern effects.

 

[Tommy R]

As a fan of at least some of these Disney remakes (in particular Tim Burton’s Alice and Dumbo) I’ll welcome this Pinocchio. It’s one of my favorite Disney movies, though it flip flops with Dumbo depending on my mood. Tom Hanks as Gepetto is a great choice!

 

[Jake Lipson]

Presumably (?) there will be a blu-ray release...

So far, Disney has not released any movies created for Disney+ elsewhere. The live-action version of Mulan, plus Pixar's Soul, Luca and Turning Red are the only movies that debuted exclusively on Disney+ that have subsequently been released elsewhere, and those were not made for Disney+. They were originally intended for theatrical release and got rerouted to Disney+ because of circumstances surrounding Covid-19. So a Blu-ray release following the theatrical run was always in the cards for those movies.

Pinocchio is more analogous to the live-action Lady and the Tramp, Togo, Stargirl, The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers in being created specifically for the Disney+ platform. None of those have been released elsewhere.

Of course, Disney could opt to do a Blu-ray release for the new Pinocchio or any of those movies at any time. But it would represent a shift away from their current strategy for these movies if they did. So I wouldn't necessarily expect one.

 

[Bernard McNair]

I watched the teaser; looks like it could be fun. I always enjoy Tom Hanks and his name alone will ensure will ensure they we stream Pinocchio in our home.

 

[Ross Gowland]

Presumably (?) there will be a blu-ray release...

I’d be surprised if there were.

 

[Edwin-S]

Looks completely godawful. Jiminy Cricket looks like a refugee from a low budget mockbuster.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Looks completely godawful. Jiminy Cricket looks like a refugee from a low budget mockbuster.

Then I guess you won't be watching it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

A new ad for "Disney+ Day" gives the first look at Pinocchio's CGI look in motion.



I'm not really feeling this personally.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Garysb]

Are the other songs from the 1940 movie included besides "When You Wish Upon A Star"?

I haven't seen the other Disney remakes. Do they usually make the characters look almost exactly like the originials? The CGI characters seem spot on though Jiminy Cricket seemed too large in some scenes.

 

[benbess]

As a fan of Tom Hanks, director Robert Zemeckis, and the 1940 movie I'm looking forward to this.

As some of you no doubt know, there's a wonderful award-winning biography of Walt Disney by Neal Gabler that came out in 2006. It details how Walt himself was really to some degree the director of Snow White, Pinocchio, and some of the other early full-length animated movies. Anyway, I guess I'm one of the few here who has mostly enjoyed the Disney remakes of their old movies. The original movie is almost lost in the mists of time for new generations. I'm cautiously optimistic this new one will be good, although clearly it borrows quite a bit from Walt and his 1940 classic.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Are the other songs from the 1940 movie included besides "When You Wish Upon A Star"?

There has been no announcement about that one way or the other as far as I know.

I think this just looks creepy and nothing in that trailer is getting me anxious to watch this. When Robert Zemeckis is on point, he's great, no question. But this just feels off to me.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Jake Lipson]

A critic I follow online said that he has seen Pinocchio, but reviews are under embargo until Thursday at midnight. This is exactly when the film is dropping on Disney.

That is not encouraging.