The live-action remake of family favourite Pinocchio has arrived on Disney+ . The story of the puppet who dreams of being a real boy has been rebooted for the 21st century - with an impressive cast and a seasoned director.
The new version is based on the 1940 Walt Disney animation classic of the same name, which itself took inspiration from an earlier story - the 1883 Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi. The 1940 version was the first animated feature film to win an Oscar and is still regarded as one of the best of all time.
The new Disney+ movie is more or less a direct remake – with the script following an almost identical narrative as the 1940 film. Once again, Jiminy Cricket is the way into the story, which sees an Italian woodcarver named Geppetto make a wooden puppet named Pinocchio. Many of the key moments remain the same too – such as the emergence of the Blue Fairy who brings the puppet to life, the appearance of Honest John to tempt Pinocchio, and the trip to Pleasure Island, complete with nightmarish donkey transformation.
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Director Robert Zemeckis, whose previous work includes Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, said in the film's press notes: “We use the 1940 Disney version as a template and an outline for our story. So it follows pretty much the same adventure that Pinocchio follows in the animated version.
“We modernise the storytelling because there was a different sort of pacing in movies then than there is now, but we basically kept the spirit and the tone and the theme of the first movie."
Who stars in the Pinocchio remake?
Actor and filmmaking legend Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto the woodcarver. The 66-year-old, one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).
Award-winning American actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides the voice for Jiminy Cricket. The 41-year-old, who has starred in numerous films since he began acting as a child in 1992, is known for his roles in Inception, Looper and 10 Things I Hate About You.
The voice of Pinocchio is provided by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, the 13-year-old British actor. Born in Nottingham, he is known for playing Miles in Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor and William in Disney’s Flora & Ulysses.
Cynthia Erivo, the 35-year-old London actress who received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet, plays the Blue Fairy. Keegan-Michael Key, the 51-year-old American actor known for his roles in films such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Don't Think Twice, provides the voice of Honest John.
Reviews for the new Pinocchio movie
The film has been met with fairly disappointing reviews so far. The Guardian, giving it three out of five stars, said: “A live-action take on the classic animation has effective visual moments and an impactful turn from Tom Hanks but never quite justifies its existence.”
The Telegraph was more scathing. Giving it just one out of five stars, the paper said: “This recreation of the 1940 masterpiece, courtesy of Robert Zemeckis, is an insult to its memory, and a dead-eyed exercise in box-ticking.”
The review from film magazine Empire was only slightly more favourable - giving it two stars. Reviewer Alex Godfrey said: “Though not without charm, and some splendid CGI, this scattershot grab-bag of good intentions results in a bit of an emotional flatline. This puppet will not tug on your heartstrings.”
Pinocchio age rating and runtime on Disney+
The live-action remake of Pinocchio on Disney+ has been given an age rating of 9+. Its run time is 1hr 51mins.
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