The Twisted Fate of Children’s Stories
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh (Photo by Mr. Fulco)
Warning, if you want to preserve your childhood stories, stop reading.
What’s up with producers turning childhood characters into murderers? If you grew up with movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Winnie-the-Pooh be prepared to have your childhood dreams ruined.
About a month ago, the new sneak peak of the movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was released, and it left a lot of people both confused and excited.
The movie, written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield in Jagged Edged Productions and inspired by the original story of A.A Milne, centers on the murders that Pooh and Piglet commit after being abandoned by Christopher Robin when he takes a new journey in college.
People had a lot to say about the upcoming film; mostly enjoying the horror side of a story like this (especially since Disney has no ties to the film), but also hating that this generation of viewers had turned something so innocent into a horror film just for their enjoyment. According to some articles on the movie, most believe that it won’t be that good but will still watch it for the enjoyment of it all. Comments on the movie have been that they enjoy the new take on their childhood and have become obsessed with it because of the actors and voices and are looking forward to how it will play out. Others believe that it won’t play out in a good way because of the plot and visuals itself and that these characters specifically don’t mix with the horror genre.
Additionally, a week ago new Grinch infused horror movie The Mean One was showcased. The Mean One by Steven Lamorte from a screenplay by Flipp and Finn Kobler, is an R-rated slasher film of the original How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Doctor Seuss. The story of The Mean One is set on Cindy coming back to town for closure after her parents have been murdered 20 years ago by The Grinch himself, and she’s settled on plotting her revenge.
So far, the comments of the movie haven’t been so positive, but have gotten better feedback than Blood and Honey. People believe that this movie isn’t one that is set for kids and also ruins their childhood because a lot of kids have grown up with the original every Christmas.
However, people are mostly excited for the release, because this is a character that can actually be turned into a horror movie villain, because of the Grinch’s intent in the original movie, wanting to steal Christmas.
Are these stories going back to the violence that characterized the original Grimm Brothers stories? If you aren’t familiar with The Brothers Grimm, their stories were much more violent than we see today. Maybe Cinderella’s step sisters cutting their heels to fit the glass slipper rings a bell? Or the Old Woman in Hansel and Gretel falling for Gretel’s tricks and getting inside the oven burning alive? This gives you a little hint at the violence and horror that have always been attached to children’s stories.
All of these stories that we’ve been familiarized with have just been the fairy tale version that Disney has been feeding us since we were little, but we never knew the real stories behind these happily ever after endings. The only difference between the Disney version and the original was their removal of death.
These stories have been twisted to reach a certain audience, specifically little kids, but now with the growth of this generation it seems like their originals are making their awaited return and these two movies are the perfect example.
The gory take on the beloved characters of Winnie-the-Pooh and the Grinch might ruin some childhood memories, but it is sure to make a lot of money at the box office.
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Katie is a member of the Class of '24 at The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology.
Kiswa Khan
Apr 19, 2023 at 12:12 pm
This is a really thought provoking article! It’s interesting to see how these innocent and beloved characters are being reimagined for a new generation of viewers. Your article provides an intriguing perspective on the evolution of children’s stories!
Anna Kercher
Apr 18, 2023 at 1:14 pm
Well done! I really enjoyed this article because I found the topic super intriguing, especially paired with the eye-catching posters and images from the actual movies that put some of the horror in perspective. I love the headline, I think the words “twisted fate” paired with “children” does a good job of being intriguing and also introducing the topic a little bit. The lead in the beginning with the warning also caught my attention, and did a nice job of prefacing the article. It would’ve also been interesting to have a blind/surprising lead describing maybe one of these children stories turned horror, but I think the second paragraph does a really good job of further gripping the ready with the strong diction and exact titles that you talk about later in the article. I really really liked how you tied these twisted stories back in the end to the Brothers Grimm, and questioned whether violence and darkness has always sort of been attached to these children’s tales. I thought that was a really good point and very interesting to think about, overall good job!
Ava
Apr 18, 2023 at 12:44 pm
Hi Katie, my name is Ava Cordella and I am also a student journalist for Inklings News in Westport, CT! The topic you wrote about is super interesting and something I can tell you are passionate about. I especially liked your lede. The “warning” is really unique and attention grabbing!
Rylie Cordella
Apr 18, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Hi, my name is Rylie and I’m a student journalist for Inklings at Staples High School in Westport, CT. I really enjoyed your article as your lede was very intriguing and hooked me in. Both opinions of the movies were represented and explained well also!