Disney Releases Teaser For Animated/Live-Action Hybrid ‘Pinocchio’

Disney has dropped the first teaser trailer for its upcoming hybrid version of Pinocchio from director Robert Zemeckis.

Zemeckis is no stranger to animation/live-action hybrids – he is after all the director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit – but this film has one up on that iconic earlier film because even the sets appear to be fully cgi. The trailer displays little to nothing in the way of full sets and suggests a heavy reliance on virtual production techniques, much like Disney’s recent remakes of The Jungle Book and The Lion King. Tom Hanks and a few other characters (Blue Fairy, Stromboli) appear to be the only fleshy chunks of humanity in the teaser.

Pinocchio will be available to stream on Disney+ starting September 8, which Disney has dubbed Disney+ Day. Held in the buildup to the D23 Expo, Disney+ Day will see the streaming platform host several special programs teasing upcoming content from several of the company’s marquee brands.

The acting and voice-over cast is as follows: Tom Hanks (Geppetto), Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jiminy Cricket), Cynthia Erivo (Blue Fairy), Keegan-Michael Key (“Honest” John), Lorraine Bracco (Sofia the Seagull), Luke Evans (The Coachman), Kyanne Lamaya (Fabiana and her marionette Sabina), Giuseppe Battiston (Señor Stromboli), and Lewin Lloyd (Lampwick).

Zemeckis, Derek Hogue, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz are the film’s producers, with Jackie Levine, Jack Rapke, Alexandra Derbyshire and Jeremy Johns the executive producers.

A full list of vfx and animation service providers isn’t available yet, but we believe the following studios have been involved in the production: DNEG, MPC, Halon Entertainment, Clear Angle Studios, and Dimension Studios.

Disney also shared a new poster for the feature, seen below.