For many years, audiences have grown accustomed to viewing beloved childhood characters by way of a lens of nostalgia and innocence. However what occurs when these healthful icons are twisted into one thing grotesque? This idea has been explored in numerous types, from digital paintings reimagining of Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, and Mickey Mouse as monstrous predators to viral web tales that took one thing acquainted, a lighthearted nod to childhood reminiscences, and become the stuff of nightmares.
After which it lastly occurred; a British filmmaker, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, thought it could be a good suggestion to place a horrific twist on beloved cartoon characters on movie, and thus, 2023’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was born. The film didn’t fare all that effectively with the critics, however audiences liked it, and its field workplace success quickly led to the one logical final result: the creation of The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and the announcement of Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, a cinematic crossover occasion bringing collectively all our beloved, albeit blood-soaked childhood cartoon characters below one terrifying umbrella.
The thought for The Twisted Childhood Universe was born of 2023’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey‘s large field workplace success. Whereas it didn’t do effectively amongst critics, the film turned from being a nationwide one-night cinematic occasion to a full-fledged main worldwide theatrical launch fueled by the huge spike in on-line recognition. It went on to earn $7.7 million worldwide, which might’t actually measure as much as large MCU budgets, but it surely doesn’t fail to impress both, contemplating that the film had a manufacturing finances of roughly $100,000.
Its sequel, this yr’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, is taken into account to be an enchancment over the primary movie, however its success is considerably much less spectacular, contemplating that it made $7.6 million towards a manufacturing finances of $500,000. Primarily based on the profitable profit-to-budget ratio, Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Jagged Edge Manufacturing introduced the formation of the Twisted Childhood Universe, adopted by the announcement of a full slate of movies, together with Bambi: The Reckoning, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Pinocchio: Unstrung, which ought to culminate with a crossover film.
Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is now scheduled to launch intently after the discharge of the three aforementioned titles in 2025. From what we all know to date, Jagged Edge Productions isn’t the one one betting on the success of Blood and Honey films; the film was pre-sold around the globe earlier than even a single body had been shot, with worldwide distributors snatching the rights to the film, banking on its potential success. Given the aforementioned budget-to-profit ratio, there’s actually no motive to suppose in any other case.
From what we all know to date, the film will function an ensemble of horror variations of well-known childhood characters, together with these featured in Winnie-the-Pooh films. Nonetheless, because it’s a crossover occasion, the film can even function Pinocchio, Bambi, the Mad Hatter, Peter Pan (who will likely be a villain), Tinkerbell, and even perhaps a deliberate Sleeping Magnificence function, however its due date continues to be to be introduced. With that mentioned, many different particulars related to Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble nonetheless stay below tight wraps.
It’s solely doable that the plot of the upcoming crossover slasher options all of the horror-version of childhood characters who group as much as “cope with” the survivors of their respective standalone films. Nonetheless, that’s purely hypothesis at this level. The precise launch date nonetheless stays obscure. The filming is scheduled to start in March 2025, and contemplating the fast manufacturing turnaround instances. The primary Blood and Honey was filmed in simply 10 days, whereas horror Bambi shot for lower than a month. The forthcoming sequel is more likely to debut within the latter half of 2025.
The explanation behind that, moreover the required edits and post-production, is to permit Bambi: The Reckoning, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Pinocchio: Unstrung (all of that are scheduled to debut within the first half of 2025) an opportunity to shine and introduce their respective villains. We are able to additionally affirm that the Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble goes to obtain a worldwide theatrical launch, with greater than a dozen distribution corporations buying distribution rights for European and Asian markets.
Casting can be below wraps for probably the most half, however contemplating that this can be a crossover film, any of the actors related to TCU releases have the potential to seem. This consists of Martin Portlock and Megan Placito as Peter Pan and Wendy Darling, respectively, in Peter Pan. Roxanne McKee portrays Xana, a mom stalked by Bambi after her automobile collides along with his mom in Bambi. The legendary Robert Englund (finest identified for his work on A Nightmare on Elm Avenue film sequence) and Richard Blake are forged as Cricket and Geppetto, respectively, within the upcoming Pinocchio film.
Scott Chambers is almost certainly to return as Christopher Robin, and Lewis Sander is predicted to reprise his function as Tigger. After all, the upcoming movies are additionally more likely to introduce a ton of latest forged members, so it’s solely a query of which of them are going to make their approach into Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. This can be rather a lot to maintain up with. However we managed to maintain up with the Avengers, and this specific crossover guarantees to rival something the MCU has to supply, at the very least with regards to leisure worth.