Disney just dropped the first teaser trailer for director Robert Zemeckis' live-action Pinocchio film, which will premiere on Disney+ on Sept. 8.
The teaser offers fans their first proper look at Tom Hanks as kindly woodcarver Geppetto and Luke Evans as the sinister Coachman. Several of the remake's CGI performers are also prominently featured, including Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and "Honest" John Worthington Foulfellow (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key). By contrast, Pinocchio himself (voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) only appears in a single shot which is dominated by Cynthia Erivo's Blue Fairy. The teaser also showcases dialogue and scenes that viewers familiar with the original 1940 animated movie will recognize.
Disney first announced the live-action Pinocchio in April 2015. Directors Sam Mendes and Paul King were attached to helm the remake at various points during pre-production, only to later step down. Zemeckis finally took the reins in January 2020, signing on to direct a script co-written with screenwriter Chris Weitz. Hanks joined the project (his fourth collaboration with Zemeckis) several months later, in August 2020.
New updates on Pinocchio's status dried up around this time, with Disney's decision to release the movie on Disney+ and not in theaters the only other major headline that year. However, the production ramped up again in January 2021, after Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans joined the cast. Several other actors were hired for the Disney film two months later, including Gordon-Levitt, Erivo, Key and Lorraine Bracco. Unlike her co-stars, Bracco is set to voice a character not featured in the original animated movie, Sofia the Seagull.
Disney then revealed Pinocchio's Fall 2022 release window in November 2021, as part of the Disney+ Day event. Fittingly, the movie itself will debut as part of the second annual Disney+ Day celebrations, which will take place in September 2022. It is currently unclear whether any other previously announced Disney movies or TV shows will also premiere on Disney+ Day 2022, as well.
More recently, Disney shared a first look still from Pinocchio as part of its annual shareholder conference in March 2022. It marked the first time Hanks was shown in costume as the live-action version of Geppetto, and unlike the new teaser trailer, offered fans a clear view of Pinocchio himself. The image confirmed that the CGI puppet's design closely matches that of his traditionally animated counterpart, sporting similar facial features and clothing.