For decades, audiences have grown accustomed to viewing beloved childhood characters through a lens of nostalgia and innocence. But what happens when these wholesome icons are twisted into something grotesque? This concept has been explored in various forms, from digital artwork reimagining of Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, and Mickey Mouse as monstrous predators to viral internet stories that took something familiar, a lighthearted nod to childhood memories, and turned into the stuff of nightmares.
And then it finally happened; a British filmmaker, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, thought it would be a good idea to put a horrific twist on beloved cartoon characters on film, and thus, 2023’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was born. The movie didn’t fare all that well with the critics, but audiences loved it, and its box office success soon led to the only logical outcome: the creation of The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and the announcement of Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, a cinematic crossover event bringing together all our beloved, albeit blood-soaked childhood cartoon characters under one terrifying umbrella.
The idea for The Twisted Childhood Universe was born of 2023’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey‘s massive box office success. While it didn’t do well among critics, the movie turned from being a nationwide one-night cinematic event to a full-fledged major worldwide theatrical release fueled by the massive spike in online popularity. It went on to earn $7.7 million worldwide, which can’t really measure up to massive MCU budgets, but it doesn’t fail to impress either, considering that the movie had a production budget of approximately $100,000.
Its sequel, this year’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, is considered to be an improvement over the first film, but its success is somewhat less impressive, considering that it made $7.6 million against a production budget of $500,000. Based on the successful profit-to-budget ratio, Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Jagged Edge Production announced the formation of the Twisted Childhood Universe, followed by the announcement of a full slate of films, including Bambi: The Reckoning, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Pinocchio: Unstrung, which should culminate with a crossover movie.
Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is now scheduled to release closely after the release of the three aforementioned titles in 2025. From what we know so far, Jagged Edge Productions isn’t the only one betting on the success of Blood and Honey movies; the movie was pre-sold around the world before even a single frame had been shot, with worldwide distributors snatching the rights to the movie, banking on its potential success. Given the aforementioned budget-to-profit ratio, there’s really no reason to think otherwise.
From what we know so far, the movie will feature an ensemble of horror versions of well-known childhood characters, including those featured in Winnie-the-Pooh movies. However, since it’s a crossover event, the movie will also feature Pinocchio, Bambi, the Mad Hatter, Peter Pan (who will be a villain), Tinkerbell, and perhaps even a planned Sleeping Beauty feature, but its due date is still to be announced. With that said, many other details associated with Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble still remain under tight wraps.
It’s entirely possible that the plot of the upcoming crossover slasher features all the horror-version of childhood characters who team up to “deal with” the survivors of their respective standalone movies. However, that’s purely speculation at this point. The exact release date still remains obscure. The filming is scheduled to begin in March 2025, and considering the quick production turnaround times. The first Blood and Honey was filmed in just 10 days, while horror Bambi shot for less than a month. The forthcoming sequel is likely to debut in the latter half of 2025.
The reason behind that, besides the necessary edits and post-production, is to allow Bambi: The Reckoning, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Pinocchio: Unstrung (all of which are scheduled to debut in the first half of 2025) a chance to shine and introduce their respective villains. We can also confirm that the Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is going to receive a worldwide theatrical release, with more than a dozen distribution companies acquiring distribution rights for European and Asian markets.
Casting is also under wraps for the most part, but considering that this is a crossover movie, any of the actors associated with TCU releases have the potential to appear. This includes Martin Portlock and Megan Placito as Peter Pan and Wendy Darling, respectively, in Peter Pan. Roxanne McKee portrays Xana, a mother stalked by Bambi after her car collides with his mother in Bambi. The legendary Robert Englund (best known for his work on A Nightmare on Elm Street movie series) and Richard Blake are cast as Cricket and Geppetto, respectively, in the upcoming Pinocchio movie.
Scott Chambers is most likely to return as Christopher Robin, and Lewis Sander is expected to reprise his role as Tigger. Of course, the upcoming films are also likely to introduce a ton of new cast members, so it’s only a question of which ones are going to make their way into Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. This may be a lot to keep up with. But we managed to keep up with the Avengers, and this particular crossover promises to rival anything the MCU has to offer, at least when it comes to entertainment value.