Movies

Pinocchio Trivia | 64 facts about the new Disney+ film

“Pinocchio” is a new live-action adaptation of the 1940s animated film for Disney+.

Let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new film.

Pinocchio is a 2022 American musical fantasy comedy film
It is directed by Robert Zemeckis
From a screenplay by Zemeckis and Chris Weitz
The film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures
It is a live-action remake of Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film of the same name
And is itself based on the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi
The film stars Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, Giuseppe Battiston and Luke Evans
With Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Keegan-Michael Key in voice roles
Development of the live-action film adaptation of Pinocchio officially started on April 2015
Zemeckis was confirmed as director on January 2020
Sam Mendes and Paul King were originally considered for directing the film
By November 2018, it was reported that Hanks was in early talks to play Geppetto in the film
He passed on the project after King’s departure but he rejoined it on August 2020
The main cast was announced on January and March 2021
Principal photography began on March 2021 before finishing the following month
Pinocchio was released on September 8, 2022, on the Disney+ streaming service
The film received mixed-to-negative reviews
Critics felt it lacked the charm of the original film and was unnecessary
While criticizing its writing
Though some praised the visuals and performances of the cast
In 1985, Jim Henson and director Steve Barron approached Walt Disney Pictures with the idea of a live-action version of Pinocchio, but Disney turned down the project
Barron still managed to make The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), distributed by New Line Cinema
On April 8, 2015, it was announced that Walt Disney Pictures is developing a live-action adaptation of the 1940 animated film Pinocchio
Peter Hedges was reported to be writing the film’s script
On May 22, 2017, it was announced that Chris Weitz will replace Hedges as a screenwriter, as well as serve as a producer, while Sam Mendes was in talks to direct the project
On November 13, 2017, Mendes stepped down as the director
On February 20, 2018, it was announced that Paul 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
Though Jack Thorne was announced to be re-writing Weitz’s script
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
In November 2018, Simon Farnaby was reported to have worked on a new draft for the film
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
On October 18, 2019, it was reported that Robert 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
On January 24, 2020, it was confirmed that Zemeckis will direct the film and write a new script with Weitz
It was also reported that Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine will serve as executive producers
On November 29, 2018, it was reported that Tom Hanks was in early talks to play Geppetto in the film
But passed on the project after King’s departure
In August 2020, Hanks rejoined the project
Hanks reportedly reached out to director Robert Zemeckis for the role after reading the script; the two have previously worked together in the films Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000), and The Polar Express (2004)
In January 2021, Luke Evans joined the cast as the Coachman and Oakes Fegley entered early negotiations to play Lampwick
Lewin Lloyd was eventually cast in the role
In March, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was cast in the titular role, with Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key and Lorraine Bracco also added
Erivo will portray The Blue Fairy, while Gordon-Levitt, Key and Bracco will voice Jiminy Cricket, Honest John and a new character, Sofia the Seagull, respectively
Principal photography began on March 17, 2021, in Cardington Film Studios, England, under the working title Mahogany
Filming was completed in April 2021 according to Benjamin Evan Ainswoth
On January 1, 2022, actress Cynthia Erivo shared the first glimpse of her as the Blue Fairy in the upcoming remake
Moving Picture Company provided full animation and visual effects for the film. DNEG contributed a part of the virtual production
Alan Silvestri, a recurring collaborator of Zemeckis’, composed the score for the film
The song, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, was performed by Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy
On August 31, 2022, it was revealed that “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee” 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 by Tom Hanks as Geppetto, “I Will Always Dance” performed by Kyanne Lamaya as Fabiana, and “The Coachman to Pleasure Island” performed by Luke Evans as the Coachman
Only two songs from the original film, “Little Wooden Head” and “Give a Little Whistle,” did not make the cut
In addition to the songs from the original film, Silvestri and Glen Ballard wrote new songs for the project
The soundtrack album was released on September 8, 2022, the same day as the film
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 30% rating
Based on 121 critics’ reviews
With an average rating of 4.70/10
The website’s consensus reads, “Visually dazzling but soulless, the largely inert Pinocchio reaffirms that you should always let your conscience be your guide… away from unnecessary remakes”
Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 40 out of 100
Based on 32 critics
Indicating “mixed or average reviews”