Development of the live-action Pinocchio began in 1985, with Jim Henson and Steve Barron approached with the idea, but Disney turned down the project.

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.

Later that night, the star magically brings Pinocchio to life and he is soon visited by the Blue Fairy who tells him that if he acts brave, truthful and selfless, he can be a real boy.

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.

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.

Non-speaking animal characters include Geppetto's pet kitten Figaro and goldfish Cleo, and Monstro, an enormous, chimeric sea monster who devours anything that crosses his path.

[7] On May 22, 2017, it was announced that Chris Weitz would replace Hedges as a screenwriter, as well as serve as a producer, while Sam Mendes was in talks to direct the project.

[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.

[15] On November 29, 2018, it was reported that Tom Hanks was in early talks to play Geppetto in the film,[16] but passed on the project after King's departure.

[17] 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).

[17][18] In January 2021, Luke Evans joined the cast as the Coachman and Oakes Fegley entered early negotiations to play Lampwick.

[20] 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 portrayed The Blue Fairy, while Gordon-Levitt, Key and Bracco voiced Jiminy Cricket, Honest John and a new character, Sofia the Seagull, respectively.

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.

[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.

[42] Adrian Horton of The 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.

"[44] Danny Leigh of the Financial 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.

"[45] Jennifer Green of Common 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".

"[47] Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.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".

[48] Alex Godfrey of Empire 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.

"[49] In a "C" review, Christian Zilko of IndieWire wrote, "While the original story remains undeniably excellent, Pinocchio fails at re-telling it because it ignores its own advice.