Winnie-The-Pooh: Resolutely Untouched by Blood & Honey Director's Slasher Pitch

Summary

Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield considered making a Mickey Mouse slasher movie, but ultimately decided it was too close to Disney's brand to attempt.

The notion of a Mickey Mouse slasher film would be considered an extreme extension of the current horror trend involving distorting childhood icons. Frake-Waterfield is already envisioning a collective realm of horror movies that twist beloved childhood characters, such as Bambi and Peter Pan, but transforming Mickey Mouse into a slasher antagonist would be more difficult for audiences to embrace compared to their other endeavors.

Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield, known for his controversial horror adaptation "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey," shares details of his unrealized idea for a Mickey Mouse slasher film. Speaking in an interview with IndieWire, Frake-Waterfield discusses his use of public domain childhood icons in creating horror movies. Although he reveals his concept for a Mickey Mouse slasher film, he acknowledges that he will never pursue it due to potential legal issues with Disney.

He planned to take a slasher-themed approach. Picture a steamboat movie scene where a thick fog engulfs the town. It was envisioned to resemble the atmosphere of a steamboat arriving at the town's port or the eerie fog rolling in. Mickey would then seek revenge on the town by ruthlessly slashing and killing numerous residents. It would have been remarkably entertaining. However, after careful consideration, we concluded that it bears too close a resemblance to existing works. Therefore, it is best not to proceed with this concept.

A Mickey Mouse Slasher Would Be The Latest Horror Trend Going Too Far

Despite being co-created by the company's founder, numerous attempts have been made over the past century to place Mickey Mouse in the public domain. However, Disney has consistently prevailed in lawsuits against those attempting to do so. Despite these legal battles, a significant milestone in the character's legacy will occur next year when the copyrights for the first three animated cartoons expire, officially entering the public domain. Among these is the iconic "Steamboat Willie," which Frake-Waterfield cites as the inspiration for his pitch.

Even with the potential for free use of the character, a slasher movie featuring Mickey Mouse would be considered as taking the current horror trend of distorting beloved childhood icons too far. Just before Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was released, The Mean One followed suit by transforming Dr. Seuss' iconic Grinch character into a slasher monster, with Cindy You-Know-Who seeking revenge for her mother's murder when she was a child. Both films received criticism from reviewers and had mixed reception among viewers.

Frake-Waterfield is currently developing a collection of childhood-twisting horror movies, starting with the sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh called Blood and Honey. This includes upcoming films such as Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare. The filmmaker has confirmed that these movies will be set in the same universe and there is a possibility of crossing them over in the future, depending on their financial success. However, there may be a greater challenge in accepting the idea of Mickey Mouse being portrayed as a slasher villain compared to the other projects.