Violent R-Rated Winnie The Pooh Movie 'Blood And Honey' Set To Be Released

The news of the next Winnie the Pooh is coming on its way, however, this time our favorite animated character is out for revenge.

Almost 95 years have passed since the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, the honey-loving bear entered the public domain on January 1, 2022.

It is believed that the Pooh movie is now in its post-production. Entitled Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the film is written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and stars Chris Cordell (Piglet) and Craig David Dowsett (Pooh).

IMDB

This violent version of Pooh however is based on a murderous bear and takes inspiration from Milne’s first novel.

The IMDb synopsis reads, “It follows Pooh and Piglet as they go on a rampage after Christopher Robin abandons them.” If you know a person named Christopher Robin, it may be time to cut ties.

IMDB

 In an interview with Variety, co-writer Frake-Waterfield explained that this happened after Robin went to college:

Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. 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.

Youtube

This image was posted before news broke but was trending because it was definitely on theme

I mean we have seen horror version of a Disney Winnie the Pooh before—just not like this. Well, I am talking about those remixed trailers on YouTube like the ones that made the 2018 Christopher Robin, starring Ewan McGregor, look like a thriller or horror movie. There are plenty of trailers like this imagining “What if?” and Pooh is almost always the villain in these trailers.

Though one should note that Disney is very protective of its copyright, anyone seeking to adapt this book must be very careful.

Plagiarism Today founder Jonathan Bailey dedicated a whole entry, back in early January, discussing what the story’s public domain status means with some vital specificity. For example, only Milne’s original story is part of the public domain. This means characters, style, and story elements from books two through four cannot be used as freely. 

Bailey continued:

This means that many of the characters from the series, most notably Tigger, have not lapsed and will not for a few more years. In fact, the image of Pooh wearing a red shirt was not published until 1932, meaning, much like Frankenstein’s monster, those seeking to exploit the public domain work may want to be careful about how they portray him.

However, despite all these limitations, Frake-Waterfield looks like he’s changing enough and can nod to characters he can’t yet introduce.

While it’s fun to imagine and watch these far-out scenarios like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, it is going to be really fun to see how the horror version of a popular children’s book pans out. By about 2024, all four books should be in the public domain, so now would be a great time to start a show, comic, or game.