Fans of the public domain plunderingPoohniverse, or Twisted Childhood Universe, have been treated to some more details about “Phase 2” of the project, and in particular the version ofAlice in Wonderlandthat will inhabit the corrupted and depraved world of killer bears and child-snatching residents of Neverland. For those who don’t want to go down the rabbit hole…and other dank places…turn away now.
The Twisted Childhood Universe seemed to begin life as a quick cashgrab aroundWinnie the Pooh entering the public domain in 2022. Now, three years on and we are on the cusp of another entry in the franchise that has turned into its own Marvel Cinematic Universe, with just a fraction of the budget and featuring a load of hideous interpretations of some much-loved characters from children’s literature.
While we already know that Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger are going to be joined by Bambi, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan, another upcoming project that is now getting a little more fleshed out, and seemingly getting ready to show more flesh in the process, is an explicit take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice. As explained toScreenRantby producer Scott Jeffrey:
“There’s Phase 2, which we have. We’ve already announced some of them. So Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3, Tigger’s Return, which is going to be a Tigger standalone film because everyone responded quite well to Tigger, so he’s going to get a standalone. Then the next one I think I’m going to direct is Alice the Mad. And at the minute, I’m enjoying exploring the idea that basically it’s set at an escorting agency, which is called the White Rabbit. And Alice is an escort, which is a sex worker, and the Mad Hatter becomes obsessed with her. And for me, the references are a film called Opera, A little bit of Maniac with Elijah Wood and a bit of MaXXXine in there maybe as well. I’m excited for that.”
The Madness of the Poohniverse Just Won’t End
There are many people who don’t have much time for bloody and gory slasher movies at the best of times, so the slew of movies currently doing the rounds – which includes unconnected films featuring violent and exploitative versions of Steamboat Willie aka Mickey Mouse and Popeye among others – is not for everyone. However, the panned arrival ofWinnie the Pooh: Blood and Honeydidn’t dampen the plans masterminded by Rhys Frake-Waterfield for not only sequels but also adjacent movies and a whole “Avengers-style” crossover movie.
This year will see the release of several of these movies, includingPeter Pan’s Neverland Nightmarethis week, followed byPinocchio UnstrungandBambi: The Reckoninglater in the year. Additionally, as noted by Jeffrey, there will also beWinnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3and a Tigger movie, as well as several other entries all currently working their way through production.
‘Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare’ Director Talks Upping the Gore in the Poohniverse
Scott Chambers discusses his horror film Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and the unique approach to turning public domain icons into horror villains.
It seems that the Poohniverse is the franchise no one asked for, but everyone is going to know about whether they want to or not. With the budgets on these movies so far remaining very low –Blood and Honeywas made for $100,000, its sequel $500,000, andNeverland Nightmarehas around a $300,000 budget – they are turning into easy wins at the box office. If the franchise does not lose sight of what it is, then that success is only going to grow as the list of movies expands.
