Pinocchio Unstrung, an upcoming chapter in the expanding Twisted Childhood Universe (aka Poohniverse), aims for a practical effects-led gorefest.
While the origins of a growing universe of horror-themed children’s characters had crude and humble beginnings, the success of Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey will offer Pinocchio Unstrung a bit more freedom of horror expression.
Pinocchio Unstrung Keeps it Real (Boy)
Speaking exclusively to Variety, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield (who also directed the Blood & Honey movies) explained how Pinocchio Unstrung will eschew heavy VFX for a more practical horror approach, including Pinocchio himself.
“This will be an extremely unique and R-rated depiction of Pinocchio,” said Frake-Waterfield. “Featuring a high kill count, a subversion of the original story, and lots of practical gore. I’m going to welcome Pinocchio into the Poohniverse with a bang.”
A practical doll of Pinocchio will be created by Todd Masters at MastersFx (Child’s Play 2019). The company will also take the lead on all puppetry and animatronics for the film. Meanwhile, practical gore will be handled by Prosthetics Studio, which has worked on franchises as big as Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Pinocchio Unstrung is currently selling in Cannes via Premiere Entertainment. Filming on the movie is due to begin this September, with an eye toward a January 2025 release.
Pinnochio Unstrung will be part of a wider Twisted Childhood Universe. It sees the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, and Peter Pan alongside Pinocchio in standalone horror movies. They will look to culminate in a 2025 film titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assembled.
