| Pinocchio | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Zemeckis |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Disney'sPinocchio The Adventures of Pinocchio byCarlo Collodi |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Don Burgess |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Disney+ |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million[1] |
Pinocchio is a 2022 Americanmusicalfantasy film that is a live-action remake ofDisney's 1940 animated film, which itself is based on the 1883 bookThe Adventures of Pinocchio. The film was directed byRobert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis andChris Weitz, and starsTom Hanks,Cynthia Erivo,Giuseppe Battiston andLuke Evans, with the voices ofBenjamin Evan Ainsworth,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Keegan-Michael Key, andLorraine Bracco. The reimagined story follows a wooden puppet namedPinocchio (Evan Ainsworth), who is brought to life by ablue fairy after being crafted by an old Italianwoodcarver namedGeppetto. While the role of Pinocchio's conscienceJiminy Cricket attempts to guide Pinocchio in matters of right and wrong, Pinocchio encounters a host of unsavory characters in his efforts to become a real boy.
Development of the live-actionPinocchio began in 1985, withJim Henson andSteve Barron approached with the idea, but Disney turned down the project. Disney eventually announced the film in April 2015, withPeter Hedges reported to be writing the film's script, before being replaced with Weitz in May 2017.Sam Mendes andPaul King were originally considered for directing, but Zemeckis was confirmed as director in January 2020. By November 2018, it was reported that Hanks was in early talks to play Geppetto; he passed on the project after King's departure but rejoined in August 2020. The main cast was announced in January and March 2021.Principal photography began in March 2021 before finishing the following month.Alan Silvestri, who has collaborated in all of Zemeckis's films, composed the score and also wrote new songs withGlen Ballard. It was produced byWalt Disney Pictures, Depth of Field andImageMovers.
Pinocchio was released on September 8, 2022, byDisney+, as part ofDisney+ Day. It received generally negative reviews from critics and received sixGolden Raspberry Award nominations, winningWorst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.
In a smallItalian village in 1900, a vagrant cricket namedJiminy Cricket enters the home of a widowed elderly woodcarver namedGeppetto, who lives with his pet kitten Figaro and goldfish Cleo. Geppetto has completed work on apuppet based on his young deceased son, which he namesPinocchio. Before falling asleep, Geppetto makes awish on a star. Later that night, the star magically brings Pinocchio to life and he is soon visited by theBlue Fairy who tells him that if he acts brave, truthful and selfless, he can be a real boy. The Blue Fairy appoints Jiminy the responsibility of being Pinocchio's conscience to teach him right from wrong. When Geppetto awakens and finds Pinocchio alive, he is at first shocked, but becomes overjoyed.
After a few days, Geppetto sends Pinocchio to school. The fox con-artist,"Honest" John, and his cat partner, Gideon, soon approach Pinocchio. He convinces Pinocchio that he should live a life of fame to truly be a real boy when he really plans to sell him to the puppet masterStromboli. With the help of aseagull named Sofia, Jiminy convinces Pinocchio to go to school, but theheadmaster throws Pinocchio out of the school because he is a puppet. Pinocchio decides to go to Stromboli's after all while Honest John places a glass jar over Jiminy. Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo go out to look for Pinocchio when he fails to come home for dinner. At Stromboli's theater, Pinocchio befriends one of Stromboli's employees, Fabiana and her puppet Sabina. Pinocchio puts on a good show for the crowd, but Stromboli locks him in abird cage to prevent him from ever leaving. Stromboli's coach ends up freeing Jiminy from the jar and Pinocchio has him reach the keys for the cage's lock by telling lies to make his nose grow longer.
Soon, Pinocchio is swiped up by a coach full of children driven by a charismaticCoachman, who is taking them toPleasure Island, where misbehavior is encouraged. Once there, Pinocchio is disturbed by some of the brutality the kids display, but befriends an irresponsible boy namedLampwick and manages to enjoy some of the attractions. Later on, Jiminy finds that all of the children have turned into donkeys and that the Coachman sells them to the salt mines with help from hisVapor Monsters. Pinocchio witnesses Lampwick's transformation at abilliard hall as Pinocchio gains a donkey's ears and tail. Pinocchio and Jiminy escape the island before the Coachman and his goons can get them.
Pinocchio and Jiminy make it back to Geppetto's, but find that Sofia gave him a flyer of Pleasure Island to let him know where Pinocchio was and that he sold all of his clocks to buy a boat to go there. Pinocchio reunites with Fabiana and Sabina who tell him that Stromboli has been arrested by theCarabinieri last night for cruelty against his employees, and they have taken over his puppet show. They offer Pinocchio to join them, but Pinocchio declines, wanting to save his father, which makes his donkey parts disappear. Sofia pulls a rope for Pinocchio to hold out to theMediterranean Sea, where they soon find Geppetto in his boat. Just as they reunite, they are swallowed by a giantsea monster namedMonstro. They take refuge in a giant boat in Monstro's stomach and Pinocchio gets the idea to make him sneeze by starting a fire within him. The plan works, and Monstro sneezes them out, but he gives chase that ends with the group crashing on dry land and apparently killing Geppetto.
Believing his father has died, Pinocchio mourns over him and a magical tear falls from his eye on Geppetto, reviving him. Geppetto tells Pinocchio that despite being a puppet, he has proven himself to be a true boy at heart. As Pinocchio and Geppetto depart for home, Jiminy narrates that stories have been told of Pinocchio becoming a real boy, but does not confirm them, stressing that, in his heart, Pinocchio is already a real boy.
Pleasure Island troupe portrayed by Adelaide Barham, Poppy Blackwood, Katie Boothroyd, Lucy Boothroyd, Louisa Boyd Leslie, Tyne Burgess, Verity Constantinou, Sylvie Cotterell, Phoebe Davies, Memphis-Lee Dixon, Joseph Duffy, Talia Etherington, Aimee Enejo, Felix Fewell Russell, Darcey Foster, Ben George, Jack Grant, Barney Harper, Ayla Hooper, Dean Johnson, Leila Johnson, Isla King, Jaxon Knopf, Keir Loughran, Oscar Loughran, Anya Lucker, Harrison Mackinnon, Poppy Mardlin, Imogen Maynard, Sebastian McDonough, Ruby Middleton, Abeni Munro, Samuel Newby, Kheiri Isaac-Osmani, Amira Piddington, Max Powers-Jones, Ella Robertson, Sophie Roscoe, Ethan Sey, Sebastian Shotliff, Fred Sweetman, Sophia Symondson-Cann,Evie Templeton, Conall Turner, Stanley Voss, Louis Wakeling, Calista Walters, Edward Walton, Nathan Whale, Fred Wilcox, Sam Winser, and Theo Wyatt
Non-speaking animal characters include Geppetto's petkitten Figaro andgoldfish Cleo, andMonstro, an enormous, chimericsea monster who devours anything that crosses his path.
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In 1985,Jim Henson and directorSteve Barron approachedWalt Disney Pictures with the idea of a live-action version ofPinocchio, but Disney turned down the project.[5] Barron still managed to makeThe Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), distributed byNew Line Cinema.[6] On April 8, 2015, it was announced thatWalt Disney Pictures was developing alive-action adaptation of the 1940 animated filmPinocchio.[7]Peter Hedges was reported to be writing the film's script.[7] On May 22, 2017, it was announced thatChris Weitz would replace Hedges as a screenwriter, as well as serve as a producer, whileSam Mendes was in talks to direct the project.[8] On November 13, 2017, Mendes stepped down as the director.[9]
On February 20, 2018, it was announced thatPaul King was set to direct the film, while Andrew Milano was announced to be co-producing the film alongside Weitz, and production was expected to begin in late 2018.[10] ThoughJack Thorne was announced to be re-writing Weitz's script,[10] Weitz revealed on August 21, 2018, that the script was still being developed, as well as that production was set to take place in England and Italy during 2019.[11] In November 2018,Simon Farnaby was reported to have worked on a new draft for the film.[12] However, on January 13, 2019, it was reported that King left the film due to "family reasons", while Disney was announced to be searching for a new director for the project.[13]
On October 18, 2019, it was reported thatRobert Zemeckis was in talks to direct the film, while the film's latest version of the screenplay was reported to have been written by Weitz, King, and Farnaby, with Weitz and Milano still being attached to the project as producers.[14] On January 24, 2020, it was reported that Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine would serve as executive producers.[15]
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On November 29, 2018, it was reported thatTom Hanks was in early talks to playGeppetto in the film,[16] but passed on the project after King's departure.[14] In August 2020, Hanks rejoined the project.[17] Hanks reportedly reached out to directorRobert Zemeckis for the role after reading the script; the two have previously worked together in the filmsForrest Gump (1994),Cast Away (2000), andThe Polar Express (2004).[17][18] In January 2021,Luke Evans joined the cast as the Coachman andOakes Fegley entered early negotiations to play Lampwick.[19] Lewin Lloyd was eventually cast in the role.[20] In March,Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was cast in the titular role, withCynthia Erivo,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Keegan-Michael Key andLorraine Bracco also added. Erivo portrayed The Blue Fairy, while Gordon-Levitt, Key and Bracco voicedJiminy Cricket,Honest John and a new character, Sofia the Seagull, respectively.[3]
Principal photography began on March 17, 2021, in Cardington Film Studios,England, under the working titleMahogany.[2][21] Filming was completed in April 2021 according to Benjamin Evan Ainswoth.[22]
Moving Picture Company provided full animation and visual effects for the film.DNEG contributed a part of the virtual production.[23][24]
Alan Silvestri, a recurring collaborator of Zemeckis', composed the score for the film.[25] The song, "When You Wish Upon a Star", was performed byCynthia Erivo as theBlue Fairy.[26] On August 31, 2022, it was revealed that "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)" and "I've Got No Strings" would also be featured, along with the titles of the four new songs: "When He Was Here with Me" and "Pinocchio, Pinocchio" performed byTom Hanks as Geppetto, "I Will Always Dance" performed by Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana, and "The Coachman to Pleasure Island" performed byLuke Evans as the Coachman. Only four songs from the original film, "Little Wooden Head", "Give a Little Whistle", and the reprises of "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" did not make the cut. In addition to the songs from the original film, Silvestri andGlen Ballard wrote new songs for the project.[25] The soundtrack album was released on September 8, 2022, the same day as the film.[27]
On March 9, 2022, the first look at the upcoming adaptation was released, revealing that the film would be released in September of that year.[28] Theteaser trailer and poster forPinocchio debuted on May 31, 2022, announcing the premiere date of September 8 on Disney+, coinciding withDisney+ Day.[29] The trailer features part of Erivo's rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as well as footage of Hanks asGeppetto.[20] On August 22, a teaser used to promote Disney+ Day showed the first look of Pinocchio's CGI appearance, near-identical to the 1940 animated version.[30] On August 24, 2022, the official trailer and the first-look photos for the live-action adaptation were released.[31] On August 29, Disney+ released a behind-the-scenes featurette that included interviews with some members of the film's cast.[32] On September 8, Disney+ released a second featurette which details the impact the 1940 animated version had on the film's cast and crew as well as the satisfaction it gives them to bring the story to a new generation.[33] On September 15, Disney+ released a third featurette which featured new interviews with composerAlan Silvestri,Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (voice ofPinocchio),Luke Evans and lyricistGlen Ballard sharing insights on their respective contributions to the film.[34]
On October 29, 2019, it was reported that Disney was considering releasing the film on its streaming serviceDisney+ due to thebox office failure of its2019 remake ofDumbo, though "a theatrical release seems more likely" after the hiring ofRobert Zemeckis as director.[35] On December 9, 2020, the film was officially announced to be moving back to Disney+ instead of a theatrical release in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[2] The film was released on September 8, 2022, as part ofDisney+ Day.[36][37]
Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on certain American television screens, calculated thatPinocchio was streamed for 930 million minutes from September 5—11.[38][39] In the following week, from September 12–18, the film recorded 510 million minutes of watch time, making it the second most-streamed film that week.[40][41] The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks real-time data from 20 million U.S. users for original and acquired content across SVOD and AVOD services, reported that it was the fifth most-streamed program in the U.S. during the week of September 17.[42]Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 21 million worldwide users of itsTV Time app, estimated thatPinocchio was the eighth most-streamed film in the U.S. during the week of September 23.[43]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 27% of 179 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Visually dazzling but soulless, the largely inertPinocchio reaffirms that you should always let your conscience be your guide… away from unnecessary remakes."[44]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[45]
Adrian Horton ofThe Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "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."[46]Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, writing, "Every frame ofPinocchio is filled with rich and lush detail — at times this almost looks like a 3-D film — and the performances, whether live action or voiced, are universally excellent."[47] Danny Leigh of theFinancial Times thought that "The animation is now so hyper-advanced, the landscape of the movie so eerily both this and that, it is easy to get confused about where reality stops and ones and zeros take over."[48] Jennifer Green ofCommon Sense Media gave the film three out of five stars and felt it "boasts an impressive mix of CGI animation and live actors and settings, but the final product feels a little jumbled".[49]
Amy Nicholson ofThe New York Times was critical of the script: "Geppetto [sings] about his freshly concocted dead son. Someone wished to burden the old whittler with more motivation, and tacked on a dead wife to boot."[50]Christy Lemire ofRogerEbert.com called Key's performance "by far the film's highlight", but felt other updates to the story "too often feel empty and add no insight".[51] Alex Godfrey ofEmpire gave the film two stars out of five, saying, "It's hard to invest much in Geppetto and Pinocchio's relationship when they spend barely any time together. Ultimately, it's all a bit flat, and feels like an exercise. It exists because it can."[52] In a "C" review, Christian Zilko ofIndieWire wrote, "While the original story remains undeniably excellent,Pinocchio fails at re-telling it because it ignores its own advice. ... If Disney truly believed that timeless virtue and character were more important than having a shiny new exterior, this remake would never have been made."[53] Patrick Cremona of theRadio Times thought it "never does enough to justify its own existence, failing to improve on the tremendous 1940 animation in any meaningful way."[54] Andrew Barker ofVariety was similarly negative, saying, "There may be no strings on thisPinocchio, but there isn't much of a heart in him either."[55]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Raspberry Awards | March 11, 2023 | Worst Picture | Derek Hogue, Andrew Milano,Chris Weitz, andRobert Zemeckis | Nominated | [56] |
| Worst Director | Robert Zemeckis | Nominated | |||
| Worst Actor | Tom Hanks | Nominated | |||
| Worst Supporting Actress | Lorraine Bracco(voice) | Nominated | |||
| Worst Screenplay | Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis and Chris Weitz; Based on the1940 Disney animated film and the novelThe Adventures of Pinocchio byCarlo Collodi | Nominated | |||
| Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel | Pinocchio | Won | |||
| Hollywood Music In Media Awards | November 16, 2022 | Best Original Score – Streamed Live Action Film (No Theatrical Release) | Alan Silvestri | Nominated | [57] |
| Best Original Song – Streamed Film (No Theatrical Release) | "I Will Always Dance" Written by Alan Silvestri andGlen Ballard; Performed by Kyanne Lamaya | Nominated | |||
| Golden Reel Awards | February 26, 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Feature | Bjørn O. Schroeder, Leff Lefferts, Randy Thom, Malcolm Fife, Pascal Garneau, Teresa Eckton, Goeun Everett, James Spencer, Chris Frazier, Dee Shelby, Christopher Manning, John Roesch, and Shelley Roden | Nominated | [58] |
| Visual Effects Society Awards | February 15, 2023 | Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature | Christophe Paradis, Valentina Rosselli, Armita Khanlarpour, and Kyoungmin Kim(for Honest John) | Nominated | [59][60] |
After an unusually long and bumpy road to the screen, production is finally underway on Disney's live-action remake of the animated classic Pinocchio.
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