Disney’s live-action Pinocchio releases in September on Disney Plus

All’s been quiet on Disney’s animated movie-to-live action adaptation front since Cruella launched in May 2021, but that’s about to change this fall.

Pinocchio — Disney’s second animated feature-length film when it premiered in 1940 — will get a live-action adaptation in September. Because PinocchioThe fairy tale is already in the public domain. It’s also one of three new adaptations this year. First, a Russian translation with a popular dub was released in February. Netflix is expected to release the stop-motion animation version of this story directed by Guillermo del Toro in December.

Disney’s animated version has Tom Hanks portraying Geppetto (the woodcutter) and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth playing the role of the wooden puppet. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the spiritual adviser Jiminy Cricket, while Cynthia Ervivo plays the role of Blue Fairy. The new trailer shows just about every notable character — but just a brief glimpse of Pinocchio himself.

Pinocchio’s original animated release in 1940 won two Academy Awards for its music — Best Original Score, and Best Original Song, for “When You Wish Upon a Star,” which has since become a Disney anthem. Pinocchio’s live-action adaptation is set to release on Disney Plus on Sept. 8 — just in time for Disney Plus Day, when the company will announce a flurry of Disney Plus-related announcements.