In the wake of the live-action remakes that have plagued the movie industry for the better half of the last decade, Disney’s “Pinocchio” has become the corporate titan’s next target. With Disney’s previous track record of lackluster, CGI-filled “live-action” remakes, it was hard to get excited over “Pinocchio.” However, with promising names attached to the film, such as legendary actor Tom Hanks and producer Robert Zemeckis, there was some hope to be had. Unfortunately, those big names weren’t enough to save the sinking ship that the remake became.

To call Disney’s “Pinocchio” remake ‘cute’ would be uncomfortably close to an overstatement. The film felt like it aimed to be several things at once: funny, heartwarming, disciplinary, musical and action-packed; thus, it stretched itself thin. This gave the film a strange sense of discomfort, as it failed to completely accomplish the attainment of these genres. Every time the movie began to fall in place with a genre, it uprooted itself and steered in a completely different direction. The lack of identity was a little disorienting, but was not the sole detractor of the movie.

Like many of Disney’s ‘live-action’ remakes, “Pinocchio” was, ironically, more CGI than live-action, which I suppose is necessary for a film about a living puppet. At many times, it feels rushed, unpolished and simply lazy, which is especially fatal upon taking into consideration that the sentiment of laziness is a common opinion shared by many considering the onslaught of Disney’s remakes. This remake also serves no purpose. It doesn’t tell the story in a new light nor does it place any twists on the original plot. All the new additions feel ultimately useless and irrelevant as well, as they serve no purpose to the plot.

All that being said, there were some positive aspects of the movie. Although there was a surplus of CGI, that’s not to say that the film wasn’t visually appealing, and of course, Tom Hanks brings some heartfelt acting into the picture (as he always does). The film is a good, cute movie for the whole family, but that’s precisely the problem. When a studio as large as Disney takes on a remaking of one of their most significant, most influential pieces of media, the result should be more ambitious than just a ‘cute movie for the whole family’. Ultimately, while Disney’s “Pinocchio” remake doesn’t tarnish the original film’s legacy, it leaves much to be desired and continues Disney’s trend of uninspired cash-grab remakes.