It's fair to say that Winnie-the-Pooh holds a fond spot in the hearts of a lot of people.
First making an appearance way back in 1966 following A.A. Milne's storybooks, the fictional honey-loving teddy bear is heralded as one the the most popular characters that the Walt Disney Company have ever adapted.
However, there has since been a modern adaptation to the once-beloved and well-known cartoon.
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Until now, we've only seen the character of Winnie, the loveable yellow bear, in his usable animated form. However, upon entering public domain earlier this year in January 2022, a brand-new 'revamp' has just hit the scene.
Due to Winnie becoming public domain, anyone can now legally use the character – hence it is only now that adaptations are being created.
Titled Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the newest adaptation shows a horror retelling of 'the famous legend of Winnie the Pooh'.
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Definitely making some changes to the character's well-known red T-shirt and cuddly aesthetic – this new and updated Winnie is leaving everyone a tad unsettled.
Plenty of Twitter users have taken to the social media platform to weigh in on the announcement of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
One Twitter user wrote: "I hate this. As someone who grew up as a toddler watching Winnie-the-Pooh, having a Pooh night light and toys galore seeing this innocent and lovable creation demonised like this really pisses me off."
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A second commented: "See this s*** is why the Public Domain is sometimes a bad thing."
"Trying to ruin kids childhoods nowadays," said a third.
"Who looks at Winnie the Pooh and thinks it would make a good horror film?" questioned another.
While the children's cartoon turning into a slasher may be a bit of an odd pipeline, some people have commended the creativity of the adaptation.
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"People with creativity. I know, a crazy concept for you," wrote one Twitter in support of the decision.
Others took the seemingly strange artistic choice as a strong political stand: "I love the fact that it’s only been less than half a year since Pooh’s entered public domain but this is already in production. Disney really has damaged copyright laws and it’s good to see people jump on newly domained characters."
The independent slasher flick is currently currently in production by director Rhys Frake-Waterfield.
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In an interview with Variety, Frake-Waterfield said Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey will see Pooh and Piglet as “the main villains…going 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,” the director 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," he concluded.
ITN Studios will distribute the production, and a release date for the horror remains to be determined.
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Topics: Film and TV
Rhiannon Ingle