Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey will be getting a nine day theatrical release though Fathom Events in the US on February 15th – and not only is there already a sequel in the works, but Frake-Waterfield has also confirmed that all of the horror movies he’s making based on public domain characters from children’s stories (including Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare) exist within the same cinematic universe, which will allow for crossovers down the line!
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Frake-Waterfield said, “The idea is that we’re going to try and imagine they’re all in the same world, so we can have crossovers. People have been messaging saying they really want to see Bambi versus Pooh.“
And while Peter Pan, Bambi, and Winnie the Pooh are all characters that have also been brought to the screen by Disney, the filmmaker said he won’t only be focusing on characters that have gotten the Disney treatment as he continues to expand this horrific cinematic universe. “There are many, many, many other ideas out there which aren’t tied to Disney, loads of old fairytales and urban legends, concepts that are synonymous with your childhood, and they’re the ones which I want to build up into a twisted alternative reality.“
Frake-Waterfield also mentioned that Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare will feature a heavily obese Tinkerbell who’s recovering from drugs.
A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of 2022, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield was able to make Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey happen, no permission required. The filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. 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.”
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey stars Amber Doig-Thorne (Heropanti 2), Maria Taylor (Perfectly Frank), Danielle Ronald (Curse of Bloody Mary), May Kelly (Easter Killing), Natasha Tosini (The Butterfly Beat), Marcus Massey (The Gradual Approach of the Evening), Gillian Broderick (I’m Still Here), Richard Harfst (Cannibal Troll), Natasha Rose Mills (Accident Man), Paula Coiz (The Leprechaun’s Curse), Danielle Scott (Prototype), and Bao Tieu (Conjuring the Genie), with Craig David Dowsett (Alien Abduction) as Winnie the Pooh and Chris Cordell (Spider in the Attic) as Piglet.
Are you looking forward to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and the rest of the cinematic universe Frake-Waterfield is beginning? Does a Bambi versus Pooh movie sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on these ideas by leaving a comment below.