The first teaser trailer for the new Pinocchio movie is here. But, wait, you’re probably thinking, didn’t we already get the first teaser for Netflix’s stop-motion animated film back in January? Well, yes, we did but it just so happens that there are two adaptations of the classic fairy tale coming in 2022. Alongside Guillermo del Toro’s take on the material, Disney is also releasing its own Pinocchio, a reimagining of the studio’s 1940 classic. And, going by this promo, it looks set to capture the magic of its forebear.
As you can see above, Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the lonely toymaker whose puppet son comes to life after he wishes upon a star. The teaser is going all in on Hanks appeal, too, as the Toy Story alum hogs the majority of the trail’s runtime. That said, we also get glimpses of Pinocchio’s conscientious cricket pal Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the evil Coachman (Luke Evans), and the Blue Fairy, with a snippet of Cynthia Erivo’s rendition of the original movie’s iconic song included.
As is tradition for the Mouse House’s remounts of its animated favorites, then, the new Pinocchio looks to be following the story and spirit of the ’40 version very closely. Also seen in the trailer is another familiar character — trickster fox Honest John, who’ll be voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, meanwhile, takes the title role, with Lorraine Brasco on board as new character Sofia the Seagull.
Following in the footsteps of Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo) and Guy Ritchie (Aladdin), Robert Zemeckis is the latest acclaimed director to helm one of Disney’s remakes. Pinocchio is notable for marking the fourth collaboration between the Castaway helmer and Hanks across their careers. Zemeckis similarly reunited with frequent collaborator Alan Silvestri for this, with the Back to the Future composer providing the score and supplying new songs with lyricist Glen Ballard.
Disney’s Pinocchio is the first of the two films to hit streaming, as it arrives on Disney Plus in September. Netflix’s rival interpretation follows in December.
