Pinocchio is one of the biggest names in the animation industry and has acquired many fans and lovers since it was first released in 1940. With how popular the original movie became it didn’t take long for it to get many other versions, even getting live-action movies and many new looks. Just recently the official Pinocchio Disney live-action released directly on Disney+ and had many fans wondering how many Pinocchio movies are there and what is the best way to watch them.
Here is everything you need to know about the Pinocchio movies and how to watch them to prepare yourself for watching the live-action from Disney.
How many Pinocchio movies are there?
As of November 2022, there are accountable Pinocchio movies, since the Pinocchio story is copyright free since it is a work in the public domain. Because of that many studios and companies have tried to make their version of Pinocchio. Of course, the most popular is Disney’s adaptation, but there are many Pinocchio versions that are as interesting as the Disney one.
Pinocchio movies in order at a glance
There is no particular order for the Pinocchio movies since most of them are unique, only have one installment, and are not connected to one another. Because of that, here are some of the best and most popular Pinocchio films as of November 2022, in release order.
- Disney’s Pinocchio
- Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio
- Matteo Garrone’s Pinocchio
- Pinocchio: A True Story
- Disney’s Live-Action Pinocchio
These movies were made by different directors of many nationalities, so they are not sequels from one another, just many versions of the same story that has been very popular since the release of the original children’s novel in 1883.
What is the best way to watch Pinocchio movies?
You have some options at your disposal as to what is the best way to watch the Pinocchio movies. You can watch them by release order, so watch each movie in the order it was first released, by media, as to watching the animated movies first and then the live-action ones or vice-versa or you can watch them by randomly choosing which order they are going to be since it does not really matter.
However, it might be truly interesting to watch them ordered by release date, since this way you can see the changes and modernization that affected the original story and how each one of them is unique in its own way.
Pinocchio movies in order by release date
The Pinocchio movies chosen for this article in order by release date are as follows:
1. Disney’s Pinocchio
This is the most famous Pinocchio movie, responsible for popularizing the original story and serving as an inspiration for many versions and remakes to come. It was first released in 1940 by Walt Disney Productions. This was the second animated movie made by Disney.
Geppetto is an old Italian woodcarver, famous for his many wooden clocks, who after losing his son, build a wooden puppet and truly wishes for it to be brought to life. The puppet is in fact brought to life by the magical blue fairy, who states he can become a real boy if he proves to be a brave and truthful puppet. The puppet by the name of Pinocchio is guided by Jiminy Cricket, who takes the role of Pinocchio’s conscience, as Pinocchio goes to his first day at school and will need to face some troubles along the way.
2. Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio
Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio was first released in 2002 and it is an Italian live-action adaptation of the original Pinocchio novel. Overall, this version is has a different look from the one Disney produced. The movie was met with mixed reviews and was not very liked by the public. The director, Roberto Benigni, a famous Italian actor, also starred in the film as Pinocchio.
3. Matteo Garrone’s Pinocchio
In 2019, another Italian live-action version of Pinocchio with Roberto Benigni was released. This time Roberto Benigni starred as Geppetto as opposed to his previous role as Pinocchio and did not direct the movie, which was directed by Matteo Garrone. This version is very similar to the other and received good reviews from critics.
4. Pinocchio: A True Story
Pinocchio: A True Story became very popular even before release due to memes being created from scenes from the trailer on TikTok. This is a Russian movie originally titled ‘Пиноккио. Правдивая история’ and directed by Vasiliy Rovenskiy released in 2021.
This version was very badly reviewed by critics and did differ from the original story like Pinocchio has a horse friend named Tibalt this time.
5. Disney’s Live-Action Pinocchio
In 2022 Disney released another live-action version of its many animated features and Pinocchio did not escape this. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the Jiminy Cricket.
Even though Disney was adapting the story from its own 1940 Pinocchio movie, the live-action version had some changes, such as new characters like Sofia the Seagull being introduced and a different ending.
You can choose to follow this release order or suit yourself and watch in any order you want to since it does not matter much because the movies are not thoroughly connected.
Where to Watch Pinocchio movies?
At this point, there are no streaming services that have every single Pinocchio movie in their catalog. You can rent each one through many services though, like YouTube, Amazon, Google Play, or Apple TV. However, the Disney movies are available on their streaming service Disney+.
Do you need to watch Pinocchio movies in order?
There is no need to watch the Pinocchio movies in order. Due to them being made by different studios and being different representations of the same story, there is no need to watch them in order, so you can watch any one of them at any time.
If in any case you do want to watch them in a previously established order, release order would be the most advisable, since you can get a nice experience of seeing how the story evolved and was adapted over the years.
Are Pinocchio movies connected?
No, the Pinocchio movies are not connected in any way. Each one of them was made by different people and is not a sequel to one another, you can watch them in any order and you would have a similar experience. Even if you watch the live-action version from Disney first, you will still have a good time if you have not watched the original Disney movie from 1940.
Will there be more Pinocchio movies?
Yes, there will be more Pinocchio movies. There is a Pinocchio movie in production since 2008 by Guillermo del Toro and set to release December 9, 2022. The movie is titled Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and it was made in stop-motion animation and is being produced by Netflix.
This version of the movie promises to be very unique compared to the previous adaptations. Guillermo del Toro took full creative liberty and added his own characters, feel, and look to the story. The movie already had its world premiere and was greatly acclaimed by movie critics.
The movie has many Hollywood stars in its voice cast, like Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket, Cristoph Waltz as the villain, and Tilda Swinton as the Wood Sprite.
Now, the Pinocchio watch order is all done and you already know how to watch every Pinocchio movie in an order that is to your liking. Enjoy your Pinocchio marathon and get ready for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio releasing on December 9, 2022, on Netflix.
