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Credit: DisneyA very inappropriate “Disney” movie found its way to a young audience.
Disney is a word that has never been associated with horror. The difference between the two is night and day. Disney is a magical thing intended to make people feel happy and safe, not traumatized or terrified out of their minds.
But in October 2023, you might say Disney had its name somewhat tarnished.
No, we aren’t talking about all the disappointing Marvel and Star Wars installments on Disney+ — we’re talking about a trend that’s been taking movie theaters by storm, and it all started in 2023 with the “Disney” horror movie Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Of course, the film does not hail from Walt Disney Studios. Once Pooh entered the public domain (the original 1926 version of A.A. Milne’s character, not Disney’s adaptations), director Rhys Frake-Waterfield wasted no time in getting his claws into the silly old bear and turning him into something he was never meant to be: a lunatic in a mask.
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Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a terrible movie, but that didn’t stop the low-budget indie horror from dipping its paw in the box office honey pot and scooping out $7.7 million worldwide against its tiny $100,000 budget (the film also took just 10 days to shoot).
In fact, it was so successful that it got a direct sequel in 2024, and has a bunch of spinoffs also on the way, including Bambi: The Reckoning.
Related: Disney Horror Cinematic Universe Reportedly in the Works
There will undoubtedly be plenty of people who find these films entertaining, but there are two demographics they aren’t intended for: Disney fans and children.
However, that didn’t stop the R-rated film from being shown to young children at a school in Miami, Florida in 2023.
Per CBS News Miami, children as young as nine and 10 were shown Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey by a math teacher at The Academy of Innovative Education.
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Michelle Diaz, the mother of twins who were in the class, said she felt “completely abandoned by the school,” saying, “He [the teacher] didn’t stop the movie, even though kids were saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want to watch this.'”
Head teacher, Vera Hirsh, said that action has been taken “to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students.”
She also said, “We are actively monitoring the students and our mental health counselor and principal has already met with those students who have expressed concerns.”
That same year, there was a similar incident at a movie theater in Ireland, where an indecent image appeared on the screen during a screening of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
Blood and Honey director Rhys Frake-Waterfield said he’d also like to get his hands on Ninja Turtles and Teletubbies. Thankfully, those properties are not in the public domain.
Have you seen Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!