The Twisted Childhood Universe | |
---|---|
Created by | Rhys Frake-Waterfield |
Original work | Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) |
Owner | Jagged Edge Productions |
Years | 2023–present |
Films and television | |
Film(s) |
The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU), also known as the Poohniverse, [1] is a British film series and shared universe of independent slasher horror films. It was conceived and created by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, and produced by the filmmaker's Jagged Edge Productions film studio. The films center around characters from children's media reimagined as murderous villains.
The franchise's first installment, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey , was met with a negative critical reception and a more mixed fan reception, though it turned a profit at the box office. The movie's quality was called into question, with criticisms directed at the script, acting, cinematography, and lack of humor; it also received five Golden Raspberry Awards. In response to this, Frake-Waterfield stated that he is determined to raise the standard with the future films in the franchise.
In 2022, after Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain, Jagged Edge Productions began production on a horror adaptation. [2] Upon releasing the first promotional images for the film, the movie became a viral Internet sensation. [3] After the movie's limited release, it was ultimately deemed a financial success, recouping $5 million from its small budget of $100,000. [4] Upon the monetary gain, Jagged Edge Productions announced plans to produce a sequel with a higher budget, while also stating that a then-unnamed cinematic universe featuring characters from various children's stories was in development. [5] [6] [7] [8] In February 2023, it was also stated that the characters in each of the individual movies will ultimately share the screen in the form of a crossover. [5] [9] [10] [11] [12]
In March 2024, Jagged Edge Productions officially announced that the franchise will be titled The Twisted Childhood Universe, while also announcing a full slate of films, culminating in a cross-over movie. [13] [14]
Film | UK release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producers |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | March 10, 2023 | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey | |
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | June 7, 2024 | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Matt Leslie |
The first film in the franchise, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, follows the characters Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet as murderous, misanthropic villains. [15] The film began development after the original Winnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in 2022. [2] Originally slated for an October 2022 release date, the film became viral after its announcement, and increased publicity motivated reshoots and a 2023 cinematic release. [3] The film made $5.2 million worldwide on a budget of $100,000.
In June 2022, Frake-Waterfield expressed interest in creating a sequel, and stated that he wants to "ramp it up even more and go even crazier and go even more extreme". [16] In November 2022, he announced that a sequel, titled Winnie-the-Pooh 2, was in development with him returning as director and writer, on a budget five times larger than the previous installment; [17] it would later be confirmed that the budget had increased to ten times larger than the first film. [18] In September 2023, teaser images were released, [19] [20] [21] and it was revealed that the film will not feature the same cast as its predecessor. [22] The sequel began filming in late 2023, [23] with a limited theatrical run in the U.S. from 26 to 28 of March 2024. [24] The film made $7.5 million worldwide on a budget of $500,000.
Film | UK release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | January 13, 2025 [25] [26] | Scott Jeffrey [27] | Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey | Post-production | |
Bambi: The Reckoning | 2025 [28] | Dan Allen | Rhys Warrington | ||
Pinocchio: Unstrung | 2025 [29] | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Matt Leslie | Production | |
Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble | 2025 [14] | Pre-production | |||
In November 2022, a horror movie centered around the titular character from Peter Pan and Wendy was announced as being in development; with Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey once again serving as producers. [30] Jeffrey was later revealed to be the director from a script he wrote, with the filmmaker stating that the movie will take inspiration from a combination of French cinema, High Tension and The Black Phone . The plot will center around Wendy's search for her brother Michael, who has been abducted by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. [31] Frake-Waterfield stated that Tinker Bell will be "heavily obese and recovering from drugs", [32] while Jeffrey stated the character is "hooked on heroin and convinced it's Pixie Dust". [31] The film is set to be released on January 13, 2025. [25]
In November 2022, a horror film centered around the titular character from Bambi, a Life in the Woods was announced as being in development. It will be directed by Dan Allen, from a script written by Rhys Warrington. Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey will once again serve as producers. The plot follows a woman named Xana and her son named Benji, who must fight to survive when they find themselves as prey to a mutated, grieving, killing machine of a deer following a car wreck. Officially titled Bambi: The Reckoning, the movie will be developed by ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions. [33] [34] Jeffrey described the film as "an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love. Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix's The Ritual , Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness." [35] The film is set to be released in 2025. [28]
In February 2024, it was announced that a horror film centered around the titular character from The Adventures of Pinocchio was in development, while it was also revealed that additional characters from other childhood stories would be revealed as a part of the story. Officially titled Pinocchio: Unstrung, with the release of the first promotional concept art, the plot and the filmmaking crew including the director and the writer were stated to be revealed at a later time. The movie is slated for a 2025 release. [29] [36] [37] The film will focus on James, the son of Geppetto, who meets Geppetto's magical doll Pinocchio and introduces him to the outside world, but Pinocchio's naïveté gets the better of him and he embarks on a murderous crusade to eliminate all things bad. In November 2024, Robert Englund was cast in a lead role, while Richard Brake was cast as Geppetto. [38]
In March 2024, the franchise's first crossover film was announced with the official title of Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, with the font of the title parodying that of The Avengers (titled Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The plot will reportedly include characters from each of the preceding installments, as the murderous versions of characters from children's fairytales team-up to hunt down the individual survivors of their massacres and seek to take over the world in the process. The team of nightmarish monsters will include returning characters such as Winnie-the-Pooh (being the team's leader), Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Bambi, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Hook, Pinocchio, and The Cricket; while also introducing Rabbit, Sleeping Beauty, the Mad Hatter, and others to the group. Rhys Frake-Waterfield will serve as director, in addition to producing alongside Scott Chambers. The movie is slated to release in 2025. [14]
In March 2024, shortly after the second film's release, it was announced that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 had entered development. The film will have a larger budget than its predecessors and will feature Rabbit, Heffalumps, Woozles, Kanga and Roo. [39]
In March 2024, Jagged Edge Productions confirmed that Awakening Sleeping Beauty is one of the projects being developed for the franchise. [40] [41] [42]
In May 2024 during the Cannes Film Festival, Jagged Edged Productions revealed the teaser posters for The Twisted Childhood Universe installments; officially announcing Snow White Returns as a part of its lineup. [42]
Film | UK release date | Box office gross | Budget |
---|---|---|---|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | March 10, 2023 | $5.2 million [4] | $100,000 [43] |
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | March 26, 2024 | $7.6 million [44] [45] | $500,000 [46] |
Film | ||
---|---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | |
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | 3% (62 reviews) [47] | 16 (19 reviews) [48] |
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | 46% (41 reviews) [49] | 36 (6 reviews) [50] |
Tigger is a fictional character in A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books and their adaptations. An anthropomorphic toy tiger, he was originally introduced in the 1928-story collection The House at Pooh Corner, the sequel to the 1926 book Winnie-the-Pooh. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed toy animals. He appears in the Disney animated versions of Winnie the Pooh and has also appeared in his own film, The Tigger Movie (2000).
A Heffalump is an elephant-like creature in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned, and only appear, in Pooh and Piglet's dreams in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and are seen again in The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Physically, they resemble elephants; E. H. Shepard's illustration shows an Indian elephant. They are later featured in the animated television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991), followed by two animated films in 2005, Pooh's Heffalump Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie.
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 American animated musical fantasy short film based on the first two chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions, and released by Buena Vista Distribution on February 4, 1966, as a double feature with The Ugly Dachshund. It was the last short film produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, ten months after its release. Its songs were written by the Sherman Brothers and the score was composed and conducted by Buddy Baker.
Bambi is the title character in Felix Salten's 1923 novel, Bambi, a Life in the Woods, and its sequel, Bambi's Children. The character also appears in Salten's novels Perri and Fifteen Rabbits.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional teddy bear, and the central character in the book series by A. A. Milne.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's Evening News for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo.
The Disney Collection: the Best-Loved Songs from Disney Motion Pictures, Television, and Theme Parks is a series of albums which were released three times. The first was a two-volume set released in 1987 from Disneyland Records. The second time was released in 1991 as a three-volume set from Walt Disney Records. The third time was released in 2006 as a four-volume set also from Walt Disney Records. It doesn't include songs from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, and The Sword in the Stone.
Winnie the Pooh is a media franchise produced by The Walt Disney Company, based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. It started in 1966 with the theatrical release of the short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.
Altitude Film Distribution is a British film distribution company, part of the Altitude Film Entertainment group. The parent company was launched in 2012 by Optimum Releasing founder Will Clarke. Altitude Film Entertainment is vertically integrated, with divisions that handle film production, finance and international sales, as well as UK distribution.
Wonderful World of Animation is a nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The show is a celebration of all Disney animation, beginning with Mickey Mouse. It premiered on May 1, 2019, as part of the park's 30th anniversary celebration, replacing Disney Movie Magic.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a 2023 British independent slasher film produced, directed, written, and edited by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. The first installment of The Twisted Childhood Universe, it is a horror parody of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books and stars Craig David Dowsett as the titular character, and Chris Cordell as Piglet, with Amber Doig-Thorne, Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Natasha Rose Mills, and Danielle Ronald in supporting roles. It follows Pooh and Piglet, who have become feral murderers, as they terrorise a group of young university women and Christopher Robin when he returns to the Hundred Acre Wood five years after leaving for college.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield is a British filmmaker who became known for his 2023 independent horror film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its 2024 sequel. It was the first theatrical film of his career, as well as the first for his company Jagged Edge Productions.
Bambi: The Reckoning is an upcoming British independent horror film directed by Dan Allen, written by Rhys Warrington, and produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey. It is the fourth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of Felix Salten's Bambi, a Life in the Woods. The film stars Roxanne McKee and Tom Mulheron, with Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Alex Cooke, Catherine Adams, and Russell Geoffrey Banks in supporting roles. It follows a mother and her son who become hunted by Bambi after his own mother's death.
Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare is an upcoming British independent horror film written and directed by Scott Jeffrey. It is the third installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The film stars Martin Portlock as the titular character and Megan Placito as Wendy Darling, with Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Charity Kase, Teresa Banham, Nicholas Woodeson, Kierston Wareing, Olumide Olorunfemi, and Campbell Wallace in supporting roles. It follows Wendy as she embarks on a quest to find her brother Michael, who has been abducted by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a 2024 British independent slasher film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and written by Matt Leslie. It is the second installment of The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and a sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023). As with the original film, it is a horror parody of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books. The film stars Scott Chambers as Christopher Robin, and Ryan Oliva as the titular character, with Tallulah Evans, Teresa Banham, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Alec Newman, and Simon Callow in supporting roles. It follows Pooh as he embarks on a murderous rampage through Christopher Robin's childhood town to seek revenge on him for revealing his existence to the world.
The 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, honored the worst the film industry had to offer in 2023 on March 9, 2024. These awards are based on votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. The nominations were announced on January 22, 2024. Additionally, with four nods, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earned the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) its first-ever Razzie nominations, breaking the franchise's 16-year streak without a single Razzie Award nomination.
Pinocchio: Unstrung is an upcoming British independent slasher film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, written by Matt Leslie, and produced by Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey. It is the fifth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Scott Chambers is a British actor and film producer. He played Richard in the 2015 film Chicken. He also portrayed Christopher Robin in the 2024 film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, replacing Nikolai Leon from the first film. He is credited as Chambers for his role as an actor and as Jeffrey for his role as a producer for the latter film.
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