WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY Director Says He Got Death Threats For Making Film

Winnie the Pooh is one of the most beloved characters in literary and cartoon history. The lovable bear and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood are so iconic and historically connected with Disney, that the books and movies that have been released before them hold a special place in the hearts of children and adults who grew up with them.

So, when Pooh’s rights were made public, and writer-director Rhys Frake Waterfield decided to adapt the property into a horror film titled Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, he must have known there would be a backlash. But apparently she has endured even more than she bargained for.

During a recent interview with Agence France-Press (via /Film), Frake-Waterfield called the vitriolic response to the film “mental.”

“I’ve had petitions to stop it. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had people say they’ve called the police.”

This is obviously a huge, ridiculous overreaction. But Frake-Waterfiled has certainly embraced negativity from the start. When one commenter complained that the film would ruin people’s childhoods, the director agreed, writing on his Instagram story: “This is what I’m trying to do, ruin everyone’s childhood.”

Here is the synopsis:

“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey will see Pooh and Piglet as the main villains… going on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. Christopher Robin is estranged from them, and he’s not [given] their food, made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult.

“Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially gone wild. So they went back to their animal roots. They are no longer domesticated: they are like a ferocious bear and a pig who want to go around and try to find prey.

The film is the protagonist Amber Doig Thorne, Mary TaylorAND Daniel Scott. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is out in select theatres, DVD and VOD this week. Will you check?