The director of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey plans to give more icons of family entertainment generally associated with Disney's Golden Age the low-budget horror treatment.
British director Rhys Frake-Waterfield told The Hollywood Reporter that fans "have been messaging saying they really want to see Bambi versus Pooh." Frake-Waterfield is eager to oblige, with horror film adaptations of Peter Pan and Bambi already in the works. "The idea is that we're going to try and imagine they're all in the same world, so we can have crossovers." While he acknowledged that the plan sounds like he is creating a "Disney alternative reality," he assured that it's not the case, pointing out: "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."
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey portrays the title character and his companion Piglet as bloodthirsty, feral slashers after having been abandoned by their friend Christopher Robin. This new interpretation became a possibility when the first Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne went into the public domain in January 2022 (Disney still holds the rights to its specific depictions of the characters). Initially planned for a low-key release in October 2022, the film garnered substantial buzz based on its controversial concept. Reshoots and marketing considerations pushed back and expanded its theatrical release. The slasher film premiered in Mexico in January, making $950,000 over two weekends with a budget estimated to be under $100,000. While the film has yet to roll out in other markets, a Blood and Honey sequel is already in the works.
Bambi Is Getting in on the Killing Spree Too
Frake-Waterfield will also produce Bambi: The Reckoning, which reimagines the beloved deer as a "vicious killing machine." His production partner Scott Jeffrey is attached to direct. Together they run Jagged Edge Productions, which has titles like The Curse of Humpty Dumpty, Dinosaur Hotel and Firenado in its catalog. Frake-Waterfield is currently filming another addition to the company's new horror universe, Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare. It will feature a "heavily obese" Tinkerbell who's "recovering from drugs."
While Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey has already become comfortably profitable, early reviews from Mexico have been primarily negative, both from the professional press and commentators on the internet. Many consider the film's premise "opportunistic" and criticize its lack of humor.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey will premiere in the U.S. and other territories on Feb. 15.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter