DreamWorks Alumni Are Making A Prequel Of ‘Winnie-The-Pooh’

Fans can expect to soon be treated to myriad nuances of Winnie-the-Pooh. After all, onions have layers, and ogres have layers. Oops! Wrong franchise—though there will be ties between the silly old bear and DreamWorks.

DreamWorks alumni are currently developing a prequel to A.A. Milne’s stories of the bear from Hundred Acre Wood. Yep, Winnie-the-Pooh will no longer just be a Disney bear. The forthcoming franchise is the next to reimagine the character after Jagged Edge Production’s Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which depicts Pooh and Piglet as murderous animals after being abandoned by Christopher Robin.

The kid-friendly movie is being directed by Baboon, the animation studio founded by Mike de Seve (Madagascar and Monsters vs. Aliens), and written by John Reynolds (The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show), shares the Hollywood Reporter.

And while Blood and Honey aims to unleash the cartoon bear’s beastly side, the other non-Disney rendition will lean into the warm and fuzzy feelings often associated with Pooh. As per the report, the prequel will have a similar vibe to the chronicles of Paddington Bear.

Why are creators now drawn to Pooh like bees to a honeypot, you wonder? Well, Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in January 2022, making his image open for adaptation by anyone. Disney’s version of the bear is still off-limits, though.

The DreamWorks alums are expecting to release the film of a younger Winnie-the-Pooh sometime in 2024. A television series based on this storyline will follow after. 

While Milne’s versions of Pooh Bear, Piglet, Christopher Robin, and Eeyore have already entered the public domain, as DesignTAXI reported back in May, Tigger won’t be a part of the gang until 2023, since he was only introduced in 1928 and the copyright for works will only expire 95 years later. Aiming for a 2024 premiere will give producers enough time to reinterpret Tigger too.

Reynolds says the origin story of the “silly young bear” and his pals from when they were kids will resonate with children of today. As a cub learning to navigate the world, young Pooh’s antics will be even more “hilarious” as he comes up with creative ways to dip his paws into honey.

[via Collider and Hollywood Reporter, cover photo 92247910 © Sergei Nezhinskii | Dreamstime.com]