Service members and military families at 17 Army and Air Force installations worldwide will be treated to an exclusive free, big-screen showing of the new live-action movie “Pinocchio” on Saturday.
The movie is set to be released Sept. 8 on the Disney+ paid subscription streaming service, according to the Disney+ website. Otherwise, seeing “Pinocchio” on the big screen will be a rarity. The offer comes through a partnership between Disney+ and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood carver who builds wooden puppet Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), and treats him as if he were his own son. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Jiminy Cricket, who is Pinocchio’s guide as well as his conscience. The movie is a remake of the 1940 animated musical with classic songs such as “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide.”
The free screenings are open to all authorized exchange shoppers with installation access, regardless of branch of service.
Overseas screenings at AAFES Reel Time theaters on Sept. 10: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Camp Courtney, Japan; Camp Foster, Japan; Grafenwoehr, Germany; Camp Humphreys, Korea; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Osan Air Base, Korea; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; Vicenza, Italy; and Wiesbaden, Germany.
Stateside screenings on Sept. 10: Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Rucker, Alabama; and Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
Admission to the free showings will be on a first come, first-serve basis. Show times for all screenings can be found at https://www.aafes.com/exchange-stores/movie-guide/Now-Showing.htm.
Disney+ is also offering a 25% discount off an annual Disney+ subscription to all authorized exchange shoppers worldwide when they sign up at ShopMyExchange.com. Visit ShopMyExchange.com/Marketplace. According to the Disney+ website, the regular price for a 12-month subscription is $79.99. This offer is also open to all honorably discharged veterans, who have had online exchange shopping privileges since 2017.
“Pinocchio” is directed by Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis, and also stars Cynthia Erivo, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco and Luke Evans.
Disney Plus is an on-demand streaming service created by The Walt Disney Company.
“We are honored to team up with Disney+ to bring military families together for a free theater screening of this film,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, AAFES’ senior enlisted adviser, in an AAFES announcement of the showing. “We look forward to helping military families at these installations make magical memories together with this special military-exclusive experience.”
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
