“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” (2023)

As a defender of originality, I appreciate unexpected takes on old IPs, which is why I was intrigued by this movie’s concept. However, after watching it, I must say: WTF was that?

“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” opening, which includes backstories conveyed through drawings and animations, caught my attention. I thought it was a promising start, but everything fell apart once Pooh and Piglet appeared on the screen.

The acting is subpar, the execution of the story is disjointed, and the movie makes no sense. Visually, some scenes are interesting, but for the most part, the movie is low-budget and uninspired.

Despite its efforts to be an R-rated horror film, the character design undermines any attempt to take the “monsters” seriously. Instead of being afraid, I found myself laughing at them, and not in a good way.

What’s more, I was bored throughout the movie. I expected it to be bad and ridiculous, and it delivered on those fronts but lacked flow and pace. The deaths that could have been comically over-the-top were instead dull and unoriginal.

Nevertheless, I would be open to seeing more adaptations of children’s IPs into horror movies. I think there’s potential there to create something fun.

Have you seen this movie? What children’s IP would you like to see adapted into a horror movie?