There are many published works that enter the public domain every year, and this year saw the addition of iconic children’s bear Winnie the Pooh. While Disney has pretty much had the monopoly on the characters of the Hundred Acre Wood for decades, that has now come to an end with anyone able to use or reference Pooh Bear in novels, comics, films, and more – as long as they stick to the original A.A. Milne version and not the Disney depiction. It looks like at least one film studio has been ready to pounce like Tigger, as the internet has discovered the first images from the indie horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – a gore-filled slasher featuring the iconic characters that have previously been all goodness and light.
The original stories of Winnie the Pooh were published in 1926, and due to copyright laws that relate to publications from before 1976, the 95-year protection of the original characters and setting has now lapsed. What this essentially means, is that anyone can now produce their own Winnie the Pooh stories without having to gain permission from anyone, including Disney, although Disney’s own Winnie the Pooh designs, movies, and shows are still very much out of bounds for use by anyone other than the House of Mouse.
Thanks to this, Blood and Honey is now bringing a whole new nightmarish version of Pooh to life in a way that has certainly never been seen before, and would not have been allowed as long as Disney still had exclusive rights to the character. Definitely not one for the kiddies, this version of Pooh wears braces, swings a mallet and lurks in cars seemingly stalking potential victims. Although there are very few details known about the movie, IMDb lists it as being written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, and starring Amber Doig-Thorne, May Kelly and Maria Taylor among others as some likely victims, while Craig David Dowsett is listed as playing Winnie, and Chris Cordell is Piglett.
Blood and Honey Is Likely To Be One Of Many Uses of Winnie the Pooh to Come
Over the years there have been many changes to the rules around copyright, making it hard to see some of the last generation’s most iconic characters ever falling into the occasionally lucrative and exploited public domain. However, the main character from classic 19th-century novels, including Dracula, Frankenstein and Pride & Prejudice, have been available for others to use for many years, but of recent additions, Winnie the Pooh is certainly one of the most iconic.
Soon after Pooh entered the public domain, actor Ryan Reynolds used the character to advertise his Mint Mobile brand. While his action was done in his usual cheeky style, there are no doubt many people out there wondering how they can make a quick cash grab off Pooh’s new status as public property. Whether Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey turns out to be one of those, or surpasses all expectations to be a genius move is something that we can only wait and see.