| The Twisted Childhood Universe | |
|---|---|
 Official logo | |
| Produced by | |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Altitude Film Distribution |
Release date | 2023–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,050,000–1,110,000 (4 films) |
| Box office | $17.4 million (4 films) |
The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) (also referred to as thePoohniverse),[1] is a Britishfilm series andshared universe ofindependentslasherhorror films. It was conceived and created byRhys Frake-Waterfield, and produced by the filmmaker's Jagged Edge Productions film studio. The films center around characters from children's media reimagined as murderous villains;Winnie-the-Pooh,Peter Pan andBambi have been featured, withPinocchio and others planned.
The franchise's first installment titledWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, was met with anegative critical reception, though it turned a profit at the box office. The film's quality was called into question, with criticisms directed at the script, acting, directing, and cinematography; it also received fiveGolden Raspberry Awards. In response to this, Frake-Waterfield stated he is determined to raise the standard with future films in the franchise. The franchise has grossed over $17.4 million worldwide.
In 2022, afterWinnie-the-Pooh entered thepublic domain, Jagged Edge Productions began production on a horror adaptation.[2] Upon releasing the first promotional images for the film, the movie became a viral Internet sensation.[3] After the movie's limited release, it was ultimately deemed a financial success, recouping $7 million from its small budget of $50,000.[4] Upon the monetary gain, Jagged Edge Productions announced plans to produce a sequel with a higher budget, while also stating a then-unnamed cinematic universe featuring characters from various children's stories was in development.[5][6][7][8] In February 2023, it was also stated the characters in each of the individual movies will ultimately share the screen in the form of acrossover.[5][9][10][11][12]
In March 2024, Jagged Edge Productions officially announced the shared-universe franchise will be titled "The Twisted Childhood Universe" while also announcing a full slate of films, culminating in a cross-over movie.[13][14]
| Film | U.K. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | 10 March 2023 (2023-03-10) | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Scott Chambers and Rhys Frake-Waterfield | |
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | 7 June 2024 (2024-06-07) | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Matt Leslie | |
| Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | 24 February 2025 (2025-02-24) | Scott Chambers | ||
| Bambi: The Reckoning | 25 July 2025 (2025-07-25) | Dan Allen | Rhys Warrington | |
The first film in the franchise,Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, follows the charactersWinnie-the-Pooh andPiglet as murderous, misanthropic villains.[15] The film began development after the originalWinnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in 2022.[2] Originally slated for an October 2022 release date, the film became viral after its announcement, and increased publicity motivated reshoots and a 2023 cinematic release.[3] The film was released in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2023.[16] It made $7.7 million worldwide on a budget of $50,000.
In June 2022, Frake-Waterfield expressed interest in creating a sequel, and stated he wants to "ramp it up even more and go even crazier and go even more extreme".[17] In November 2022, he announced a sequel, titledWinnie-the-Pooh 2, was in development with him returning as director and writer, on a budget five times larger than the previous installment;[18] it would later be confirmed the budget had increased to ten times larger than the first film.[19] In September 2023, teaser images were released,[20][21][22] and it was revealed the film will not feature the same cast as its predecessor.[23] The sequel began filming in late 2023,[24] with a limited theatrical run in the U.S. from 26 to 28 March 2024.[25] The film was also released in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2024.[26] It made $7.6 million worldwide on a budget of $500,000.
In November 2022, a horror movie revolving around the title character fromPeter Pan was announced as being in development; with Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Chambers (aka Jeffrey) once again serving as producers.[27] Chambers was later announced to be the director from a script he wrote, with the filmmaker stating the movie will take inspiration from a combination of French cinema,High Tension andThe Black Phone.[28] The plot centers onWendy's search for her brother Michael, who has been abducted by Peter Pan andTinker Bell.[29] Frake-Waterfield stated Tinker Bell will be "heavily obese and recovering from drugs",[30] while Chambers stated the character is "hooked on heroin and convinced it's Pixie Dust".[29][31] The film was released in the United States on 13 January 2025,[32] and in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2025.[33] It made $1.6 million worldwide on a budget of £250,000–£310,000.
In November 2022, a horror film centered on thetitular character fromBambi, a Life in the Woods was announced as being in development. It was directed by Dan Allen, from a script written by Rhys Warrington. Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Chambers once again served as producers. The plot follows a woman named Xana and her son named Benji, who must fight to survive when they find themselves asprey to a mutated, grieving, killing machine of a deer following a car wreck. Officially titledBambi: The Reckoning, the movie was developed by ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions.[34][35] Chambers described the film as "an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love. Finding inspiration from the design used inNetflix'sThe Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness."[36] The film was theatrically released on 25 July 2025 in the United States by Seismic Releasing.[37][38] It made $534,030 worldwide on a budget of £250,000.
| Film | U.K. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinocchio: Unstrung | 2026[39] | Rhys Frake-Waterfield | TBA | Scott Chambers & Rhys Frake-Waterfield | Post-production |
| Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble | 2026[40] | Rhys Frake-Waterfield & Scott Chambers[41] | Pre-production | ||
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 | TBA | Scott Chambers[40] | Richard Stanley[40] |
In January 2024, it was announced a horror film centered around thetitular character fromThe Adventures of Pinocchio was in development. It was also revealed additional characters from other childhood stories would be part of the story and revealed at a later time. With the announcement of the official title,Pinocchio: Unstrung, and release of the first promotional concept art, it was made known the plot and the filmmaking crew, including the director and writer, would be announced a later time.[39][42][43] The film will focus on James, the grandson ofGeppetto, who meets Geppetto's magical doll Pinocchio and introduces him to the outside world. Pinocchio's naïveté gets the better of him and he embarks on a murderous crusade to eliminate all things bad. In November 2024,Robert Englund was cast asthe Cricket, whileRichard Brake was cast as Geppetto.[44] The movie is slated for a 2026 release.[42][45]
In March 2024, the franchise's first crossover film was announced with the official title ofPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble, with the font of the title parodyingThe Avengers (titledAvengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland) from theMarvel Cinematic Universe. The plot will include characters from each of the preceding installments, as the murderous versions of characters from children's fairytales team-up to hunt down the individual survivors of their massacres and seek to take over the world in the process. The team of nightmarish monsters will include returning characters such as Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Bambi, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell,Hook, Pinocchio, and the Cricket; while also introducingRabbit,Sleeping Beauty,the Mad Hatter,Cheshire Cat, and others to the cast. Rhys Frake-Waterfield will serve as director, in addition to producing alongside Scott Chambers.[14] In December 2024, Scott Chambers announcedMary Poppins will also appear in the movie.[46] The following month he stated she, Peter Pan, and Mad Hatter will be the three most villainous characters of the film.[47] On January 1, 2025, it was also confirmed by the franchise's X profile that the French-Belgium comic strip characterTintin will appear in the film after the American copyright on his earliest incarnation expired.[48][49]
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in March 2026.[40]
In March 2024, shortly after the second film's release, it was announced thatWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 had entered development. The film will have a larger budget than its predecessors and will includeHeffalumps,Woozles,Kanga andRoo.[50] In January 2025, franchise producer Scott Chambers stated the movie would be a part of the studio's second phase of movies; which will release afterPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble.[51] By August 2025, it was reported that Chambers would direct the film, from a screenplay byRichard Stanley.[40][52] Filming is set to commence in early 2026.[40]
| Film | U.K. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awakening Sleeping Beauty | TBA | TBA | TBA | Scott Chambers & Rhys Frake-Waterfield | In development |
| Snow White Returns | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| Alice & The Mad Hatter | TBA | Scott Chambers | |||
| Tigger's Return | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| UntitledMary Poppins film | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
| UntitledPeter Pan's Neverland Nightmare sequel | TBA | TBA | Scott Chambers | ||
After previously being listed on the studio'sIMDb production page, Jagged Edge Productions confirmed in March 2024,Awakening Sleeping Beauty is one of the projects being developed as a part of the Twisted Childhood Universe film franchise.[53][54] The studio later shared posters for the upcoming installments of the franchise at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Sleeping Beauty movie in May of the same year.[55]
In May 2024 during the Cannes Film Festival, Jagged Edged Productions revealed the teaser posters for The Twisted Childhood Universe installments; officially announcingSnow White Returns as a part of the lineup.[55]
In January 2025, Scott Chambers stated after being featured as one of the primary evils ofPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble, the Mad Hatter will feature in an upcoming standalone movie.[47] Later that month, the producer announced the project's official title asAlice & The Mad Hatter and explained how the project will center around the franchise's version ofAlice, who is pursued by an obsessed Mad Hatter because of her work as an escort for an agency named the White Rabbit. The filmmaker stated the movie will be part of the franchise's second phase of movies, expressing his intentions to direct, while stating other horror movies as creative inspiration includingOpera,Maniac, andMaXXXine.[51]
In January 2025, franchise producer Scott Chambers announced as part of the studio's second phase of movies, a spin-off of theWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey movies centered around Tigger. The project will enter production following the release ofPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble. The producer explained the audience's reception to the character as the reason the character getting his own installment.[51]
In January 2025, franchise producer Chambers announced as a part of the franchise's future slate of films, Mary Poppins will receive a standalone movie following an introduction inPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble; while also stating the story will depict the character as a kidnapper.[47]
In January 2025, writer/director Scott Chambers announced plans for a sequel toPeter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, acknowledging that its realization is dependent on the first movie's box office performance. The filmmaker stated he had completed the script with the plot exploring how Neverland is a real location within the continuity of the franchise, while the first film intentionally mislead audiences to believe the location was just something Peter Pan explores while he is under the influence of drug abuse.[56]
| Film | U.K. release date | Box office gross | All-time ranking | Budget | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | U.S. and Canada[57] | Worldwide[58] | ||||
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | 10 March 2023 (2023-03-10) | $2,082,898 | $5,634,146 | $7,717,044 | 8,033 | 10,037 | $50,000 | [59][4][60] |
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | 7 June 2024 (2024-06-07) | $533,144 | $7,049,397 | $7,582,541 | 10,059 | 8,760 | $500,000 | [61][62][63] |
| Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | 24 February 2025 (2025-02-24) | $230,515 | $1,330,846 | $1,561,361 | 11,565 | 15,565 | £250,000–£310,000 | [64][65][66] |
| Bambi: The Reckoning | 25 July 2025 (2025-07-25) | $172,187 | $361,843 | $534,030 | 12,242 | 18,920 | £250,000 | [67][68][69] |
| Total | $3,018,744 | $14,376,232 | $17,394,976 | – | – | $1,100,000– $1,160,000 | ||
| Film | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | |
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | 3% (65 reviews)[70] | 16 (19 reviews)[71] |
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | 47% (43 reviews)[72] | 27 (9 reviews)[73] |
| Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | 39% (23 reviews)[74] | 50 (4 reviews)[75] |
| Bambi: The Reckoning | 63% (16 reviews)[76] | N/a (1 review)[77] |
Yes
...there's something really twisted and messed up, that Neverland does exist and there is this otherworldly thing, and he was able to communicate to it. I definitely have a whole sequel in store. I literally have the whole script already. I just need budget to do it, and I need this to do well.
