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Pinocchio, a musical version of the puppet boy's story, will be coming soon to Disney+. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, the upcoming film is a live-action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1940 animated film of the same name but with a musical twist.
The film is set in an Italian village, where the wooden puppet Pinocchio is brought to life by the Blue Fairy. The story then follows Pinocchio, who seeks a life of adventure while striving to be a real boy.
Read on to find out more about the movie and its cast.
Pinocchio: Trailer, synopsis, and ensemble cast
Disney+'s Pinocchio is all set to premiere on Thursday, September 8, at 3:00 a.m. ET on Disney+. The teaser trailer for the musical dropped in May featured both human and CGI characters along with a snippet of the film's new rendition of the classic song When You Wish Upon a Star.
The official synopsis for the musical reads:
"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."
It further states:
"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."
The film is produced by Robert Zemeckis, Derek Hogue, Andrew Milano, and Chris Weitz with a screenplay by Zemeckis and Weitz.
Let's take a look at the cast of the Disney+ musical.
Tom Hanks as Geppetto
American actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks will be seen portraying the role of Geppetto in the Disney+ film. Geppetto is a lonely but kindhearted woodcarver who creates the toy and treats it as if it were his real son.
Hanks is best known for his comedic and dramatic roles. Some of his works include Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, The Post, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Apollo 13, Elvis, and Toy Story film series, among several other projects.
Hanks' accolades include two Academy Awards out of six nominations, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award nomination, an AFI Life Achievement Award, a Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Pinocchio
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will be voicing Pinocchio in the musical. His character is a wooden puppet who comes alive and wishes to be a real boy.
Ainsworth is a British child actor best known for his work in The Haunting of Bly Manor, Flora & Ulysses, The Recycling Man, Emmerdale, The Sandman, and Son of a Critch.
Luke Evans as The Coachman
Welsh actor and singer Luke Evans will be seen portraying the role of The Coachman in the Disney+ film. His character lures little boys into his cursed Pleasure Island so that he can turn them into donkeys and sell them on the black market.
He is best known for his work in Clash of the Titans, Immortals, The Three Musketeers, The Hobbit, Beauty and the Beast, Fast & Furious 6, The Pembrokeshire Murders, Nine Perfect Strangers, among several other projects.
The film also stars Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy, Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana, Giuseppe Battiston as Stromboli, Lewin Lloyd as Lampwick, Sheila Atim as Signora Vitelli, Angus Wright as Signore Rizzi, Jamie Demetriou as the Headmaster, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John, and Lorraine Bracco as Sofia.
However, Disney's remake isn't the only big Pinocchio movie coming out in late 2022. Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro co-wrote and co-directed a stop-motion animated version of the movie for Netflix, which is supposedly a dark adaptation of the Carlo Collodi fairytale. It stars Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Cate Blanchett, and John Turturro.
You can watch the musical Pinocchio on Thursday, September 8 on Disney+.
