The new Winnie The Pooh movie has transformed the beloved children's book character into a violent horror figure.
The honey-loving animated bear receives a fiendish makeover in the latest set of pictures from the forthcoming movie: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Originally created by author A.A. Milne and illustrator E.H. Shepard in 1926, Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain on January 1, which allows anyone to use the character creatively in the media, free from copyright laws.
Between 1961 and 2022, Disney was the sole owner of the rights to Milne's characters and the only company allowed to publish TV shows, movies, and other products based on the iconic red t-shirt-clad bear.
The upcoming slasher movie is being created by the London-based Jagged Edge Productions, the same production company that made The Curse of Humpty Dumpty and The Legend of Jack and Jill - all dark reimagines of childhood tales.
The upcoming movie's IMDB page only notes that it’s a "horror retelling of the famous legend of Winnie the Pooh" and is directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield.
In an interview with Variety, the director explained the plot of the film and said the audience will see Pooh and Piglet as "the main villains…going on a rampage" after being abandoned by Christopher Robin.
"Christopher Robin [has] pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult," he said.
"Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral," Frake-Waterfield continued. "So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey."
Online users reacted to the upcoming childhood classic turned horror with both anticipation and confusion.
Writer and filmmaker Jesse Hawken commented and said: "This is why we must support Josh Hawley's determination to return Mickey Mouse to the public domain so that we can get tawdry cash-in horror movies based on former Disney properties."
Musician Jack Remmington wrote: "Am I hallucinating?"
One user joked: "Pooh bear would not kill anyone, he is two apples tall and he loves honey."
Another person commented: "Horror Twitter are absolutely hating this but I do not think I have ever been more excited to see anything in my life."
What do you guys think about the new creative direction for the cuddly bear? Comment below!
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey doesn't have an official release date.
