In January 2022, the original Winnie-the-Pooh book from 1926 entered the public domain, freeing up the character from copyright protection. One outcome was Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023), a British splatterpunk film about Pooh and Piglet terrorizing and killing women at a university near Hundred Acre Wood, the setting of the original book series. Here’s the IMDB description of the movie: “After Christopher Robin abandons them for college, Pooh and Piglet embark on a bloody rampage as they search for a new source of food.” (Trailer above.) While the reviews were bad, the film is a cult success. Apparently, even some kids appreciate it, at least according to one parent of twins in a fourth grade class at Miami’s Academy of Innovative Education charter school. Apparently a math teacher showed the film to the class and, according to parent Michelle Diaz, it was students who had requested it.
From CBS News:
“He didn’t stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want to want this’,” Diaz told CBS News, adding that some kids were seriously affected[…]
According to Diaz, the students selected the movie.
“It’s not for them to decide what they want to,” she said. “It’s up to the professor to look at the content.”
As a BB reader HMS Goose asked in our comments, is the quote of “we don’t want to want this” that’s attributed to the children an editing error by CBS News or were the kids truly feeling guilty about their desire to see the movie? (Likely the former, but still.)
According to a statement from the school, “the administration promptly addressed this issue directly with the teacher and has taken appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of students. We are actively monitoring the students and our mental health counselor and principal have already met with those students who have expressed concerns.”
