Disney did great creating its universe of animated films inspired by classic fairy tales and children’s books, but with many of them no longer held by copyright vetoes, the time has come for the world to explore the same stories with plots nothing sweet or nice.
That’s why director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s desire to create a fairytale-inspired multiverse of horror has taken a bigger shape, and he’s already contemplating a series of films that will be precursors to the one he released this February: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Winnie will not be the only character to have a twisted future that will move away from the versions that Disney sold us as children, and for many, this news is quite interesting because of the Machiavellian potential that can be extracted from stories that, in themselves, are not as pure as many think. But let’s go step by step.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’s Sequel
Weeks before the film celebrated its world premiere, rumors began to spread that a direct sequel to it was already in the works, which were confirmed during the event.
It is known that the second part of Blood and Honey will show other characters that did not appear in the first film and that it will have a much scarier and darker story than its predecessor. It is expected for the production to begin in a few weeks, with a view to its premiere taking place in the first quarter of next year.
A Vengeful Bambi
On the same day of the world premiere of Blood and Honey, it was also announced that the producers of the film and its director were already working on a version of the same cut but inspired by the story of Bambi, the little deer who lost his mother because of poachers.
But instead of promoting friendship, self-esteem, and other values that Disney presented in its version of the story, the plot that Frake-Waterfield has in mind is more tied to revenge, since here the protagonist will seek to avenge his mother’s passing and all the damage they caused.
It is known that the film is already in the pre-production stage, but more details about its story, cast, and possible release date are unknown at this time.
Quite a Different Peter Pan
Frake-Waterfield’s next project will also turn a classic into a gory fantasy on the big screen. It will be that of Peter Pan and Wendy, a children’s story that was written by J. M. Barrie.This character, known as “the eternal child”, has been the protagonist not only of several Disney stories, but also of other live-action films, such as the 2003 Universal Pictures version, and the 2015 Warner Bros. version.
However, none of them turned out to be truly dark like the one that Frake-Waterfield and his team are working on, which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will follow a disgraced Peter Pan and Tinkerbell suffering from morbid obesity and various other issues.
A Multiverse of Horror Stories
The main reason Frake-Waterfield is contemplating bringing to horror so many classic stories is that his bigger plan is to create a kind of universe where all these stories have happened on the same timeline, so they can be put together at some point.
“The idea is that we’re going to try and imagine they’re all in the same world, so we can have crossovers. People have been messaging saying they really want to see Bambi versus Pooh”, he confirmed to the media.
While the director himself acknowledges that these movies may sound like an alternate reality to the Disney ones, given that the stories he’s taken are some of the most beloved and popular of the company, he affirmed that’s not really his intention.
“There are many, many, many other ideas out there which aren’t tied to Disney, loads of old fairy tales and urban legends, concepts that are synonymous with your childhood, and they’re the ones which I want to build up into a twisted alternative reality,” he added.
