Director: Reza Saafi

Cast: Hojjat Shorki, Hossein Ghofla, Johar Tangestani, Ali Nikfar, Asghar Javadi

Pinocchio is a 2019 Iranian animated adventure film directed by Reza Saafi, offering a localized Persian-language retelling of the beloved classic about a wooden puppet and his quest to become a real boy. Running 75 minutes, it blends fantasy, family warmth, and musical elements for young Iranian audiences.

What is Pinocchio about?

An aging woodcarver named Geppetto pours his heart into crafting an extraordinary wooden puppet, secretly hoping the figure will fill the emptiness in his home and give him the companionship of a child. When the puppet — named Pinocchio — is brought to life through a magical intervention, he embarks on a series of misadventures far beyond the safety of his father's workshop. Each escapade tests his honesty, courage, and loyalty, as forces both helpful and deceptive try to pull him in opposite directions. Pinocchio must learn through experience what it truly means to be good before his deepest wish — becoming a real boy — can ever come true.

Cast & crew

Director Reza Saafi leads the production with a cast of Iranian voice performers including Hojjat Shorki, Hossein Ghofla, Johar Tangestani, Ali Nikfar, and Asghar Javadi. Each actor brings distinct character to their role, grounding this animated world in familiar Persian vocal performances that resonate with younger diaspora viewers.

Context & significance

Iranian animated features occupy a modest but meaningful corner of Persian cinema — productions aimed squarely at family audiences, designed to offer culturally familiar storytelling in a child's native language. For diaspora families raising children outside Iran, films like this carry added weight: they give young viewers a chance to hear Persian spoken naturally in an imaginative setting, keeping the language alive across generations. Pinocchio's universal premise — a child learning honesty and empathy — translates well across cultures, and the Iranian production gives it a distinctly local voice and sensibility that imported dubbed content rarely achieves.

Where & how to watch

Pinocchio (2019) is available on K-Time with Persian subtitles. Stream it on your browser, smart TV, or Android device — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.