We’ve got another classic Hollywood battle of two movies with nearly identical premises coming out within the same year, like the bygone days of Deep Impact and Armageddon or Volcano and Dante’s Peak. This time it’s two totally different Pinocchios. The first is Disney’s live-action version of their cartoon classic, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated films in the studio’s history. The second is Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated Pinocchio, which is expected to premiere on Netflix this fall and will surely be a much darker take on the material.
Disney’s version will beat Netflix’s to the market by about three months. Disney announced today that the film will debut on Disney+ on 2022’s “Disney+ Day,” which they’ve made into an annual celebration of the company’s streaming offerings. Their Pinocchio stars Tom Hanks as Geppetto, reuniting yet again with director Robert Zemeckis; they’ve previously made films like Cast Away, Forrest Gump, and The Polar Express together. The movie also features Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the lovable Jiminy Cricket. Here’s the first teaser for the film.
Disney also debuted a new poster for the film:
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
Academy Award® winner Robert Zemeckis directs this live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) as if he were his own son. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his “conscience”; Academy Award® nominee Cynthia Erivo is the Blue Fairy; Keegan-Michael Key is “Honest” John; Academy Award® nominee Lorraine Bracco is Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and Luke Evans is The Coachman. Also in the cast are Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana (and her marionette Sabina), Giuseppe Battiston as Señor Stromboli and Lewin Lloyd as Lampwick.
Pinocchio premieres on Disney+ on September 8.
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