Would Winnie the Pooh Eat You? Only if You Lose the Copyrights

Just when you thought you’ve worked out all of your childhood issues, something that rehashes all your nightmares pops up. Coming to theaters this week is a new movie that will trigger all those old haunting memories.

Last January, Disney lost its copyrights to the A.A. Milne Winnie the Pooh characters. Since then, they have been fair game for anyone who wants to use them and not have to pay a fee or get permission from Disney. Disney purchased the rights to the beloved characters back in 1961, and they have since appeared in numerous family-friendly movies.

But now British director Rhys Frake-Waterfield has turned the beloved children’s character into a mass murderer. Coming to a theater near you is Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023).

The story revolves around Christopher Robin leaving Pooh and Piglet alone after he leaves for college. The duo nearly starves to death before going on a murderous rampage to feed their appetites, including killing and eating their friend Eeyore.

At issue for the Walt Disney Company is the possibility of this happening to more of their intellectual property, including Mickey Mouse.  Mickey’s copyright expires next year, and Disney has been working feverishly to ensure that the copyrights remain with them.

Frake-Waterfield has said that he is planning an entire childhood horror universe. His production team has already begun work on a nightmarish version of Peter Pan, which will include a drug-addicted, overweight Tinker Bell. He has said that he also plans a horror film based on Bambi, in which one can only assume the hunted will become the hunter.

These films are easy and cheap to make, and people will see them for nothing more than the curiosity factor. Jagged Edge Productions was able to make the film for $100,000. It will debut in America this weekend and is expected to make around $9 million. It has already made more than $1 million since its debut in Mexico.

Frake-Waterfield has said that he would like to create a horror universe, similar to DC and Marvel, where his characters could cross over into other films, and the stories could go on forever.

With such low productions cost and relatively high returns, it is possible that we will be seeing more of these films in the future, and not just from Frake-Waterfield.  So, say goodbye to all your favorite childhood memories; they will now become a regular part of our collective nightmares.