Walt Disney Studios has today released the first trailer and poster for its live-action version of Pinocchio. The movie stars Tom Hanks, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, and Luke Evans, and will premiere on September 8, a date we earlier learned will mark this year's Disney+ Day.
Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis directed this retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy.
Hanks plays Geppetto, the woodcarver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Ainsworth) as if he were his own son. Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his "conscience." Erivo is the Blue Fairy, Key is "Honest" John, Bracco plays Sofia the Seagull, a new character, and 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.
Disney's live-action adaptations have been hit-and-miss, but this seems like it could be a really special experience. For fans of the original Pinocchio, we'd go so far as to say that it looks pretty much perfect, and we're particularly intrigued to see what Levitt brings to the table as the iconic and beloved Jiminy Cricket.
Check out the Pinocchio trailer and poster below: