Disney’s Live-Action Pinocchio Arrives on Disney+ in 2022

We now have an idea of when the long-awaited, Tom Hanks-led Pinocchio movie will show up on Disney+ next year. It was announced during Disney+ Day that the live-action Disney remake would debut on the Disney streaming service in mid to late 2022. The specific window that was quoted to investors during a recent call was during the fiscal fourth quarter of 2022. Disney has now officially announced it will debut in Fall 2022 while unveiling the official logo.

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 Fall 2022 to #DisneyPlus. ✨#DisneyPlusDaypic.twitter.com/kdK5fKrMfX

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) November 12, 2021

Disney’s Pinocchio is the latest in a long line of live-action retellings of classic Disney animated movies. The movie has been in development since 2015 and has not been without its issues. Tom Hanks, who had signed on from the beginning, had left the production at one point only to return to the project last year.

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Much like Emma Stone’s Cruella and the upcoming Peter Pan live-action adaptation, Disney’s Pinocchio was originally slated to be released exclusively in movie theaters. The COVID pandemic has changed how things worked in so many ways, however. With theaters closed for so long due to the pandemic, Disney, like many other movie studios, learned that they could release their movies exclusively to their streaming services, often with an added fee, or as a simultaneous release alongside the theater release. It was announced during an investor call last year that Disney’s Pinocchio would shift from a theater release to a Disney+ release.

Disney’s Pinocchio is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who has a long history of successful movies, most notably with the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? among many other credits. He co-wrote the adaptation with Chris Weitz. This is not Weitz’s first time working on one of Disney’s live-action adaptations, as he wrote the script for 2015’s Cinderella which was directed by Kenneth Branagh.

The Disney+ title will see the titular role of Pinocchio played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who was most recently seen in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor as Miles Wingrave. Tom Hanks will play the role of Geppetto, the adoptive father of the puppet-turned-real-boy. Cynthia Erivo has been cast as the Blue Fairy, Luke Evans will take on the role of one of the main villains as The Coachman, Keegan-Michael Key will play Honest John, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be the famous voice of conscience, Jiminy Cricket. This live-action adaptation of Pinocchio will also have a new character introduced, as Lorraine Bracco will play Sofia the Seagull.

Pinocchio of course is the story of wood-carver Geppetto who creates a wooden puppet named Pinocchio which is brought to life by a fairy. Pinocchio is told he can become a real boy if he can prove himself to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish.”

Disney has found a great deal of success with their live-action adaptations of their classic animated movies. Aladdin and The Lion King both recently saw box office takes over $1 billion. A live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid is currently filming in the UK. And a live-action adaptation of Peter Pan starring Jude Law has been announced. Disney’s Pinocchio arrives on Disney+ in 2022.

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