When Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain earlier this year it opened the floodgates as to what could be done with the iconic character. Some have decided to go to the extreme with an exploitive horror film. But it appears some have decided to go in a more traditional route. 



Independent studio Baboon Animation has teamed up with the Winvest Group to develop an animated Winnie the Pooh prequel film. The film will be directed by Mike de Seve
(Known for Beavis and Butthead Do America and Over the Hedge) and will co-write with John Reynolds (Known for The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show). Fellow Dreamworks alumni Charlene Kelly is set to produce.

John Reynolds stated “We’re telling the surprising origin story of the ‘silly young bear’ and his friends, when they were still kids, in a way designed to connect with 21st-century kids.“



Mike de Save added “I think this unsinkable young cub is totally relatable for today’s kids, with his hell-bent craving for honey and his ludicrous schemes to get it. The whole gang is hilarious, and are even more hilarious as kids, we’re finding out.”

Finally Charlene Kelly said “A.A. Milne’s bear has aged gracefully in the last hundred years. But what happened, back when, that made him and his pals who they are in the book? A heck of a big adventure, that’s what. One that needs a big screen. Audiences will be transported to somewhere they never expected.“

The film is said to take inspiration from the recent Paddington and Peter Rabbit revivals. It is currently slated for a 2024 release and a television series is planned to follow afterwards.

Disney may be tugging at their collar seeing that someone else is getting in on making animated Pooh projects. We will have to wait and see how this all plays out.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter