I really didn’t expect that Poohniverse R-rated Pinocchio film to be any good, but the first look at the actual real animatronic puppet has me curious.
Look, let’s call the Poohniverse films exactly what they are: spotlight chasers. It’s ok! It’s better to be honest about this kind of thing, because I find it hard to believe that there were enough people in the world that wanted an edgy, slasher version of Winnie the Pooh. That one, alongside its sequel that released this year, only exist because of the character entering the public domain, and creator Rhys Frake-Waterfield has quickly gotten to work on building up a connected universe, which includes a Peter Pan film where Tinker Bell is a heroin addict, as well as one about Pinocchio – you know, all the Disney classics.
The only problem is that a first-look at the animatronic puppet portraying the titular Pinocchio actually looks quite good – you can check out a clip of it in action, which was made by Todd Masters, who’s worked on series like Child’s Play, Dune, and Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight. “I’ve forever loved the original and demented story from the 1880s. So I was excited to join this production, to bring this little puppet to life – with all practical FX,” Masters said in a statement (via Variety). “This version is still a little puppet’s pursuit to becoming a boy… but the way he becomes one, is extremely gnarly… and frankly, very fun.”
Also reported by Variety is that horror icon Robert Englund has joined the cast of Pinocchio: Unstrung, a ridiculously good addition considering the actor is best known for his role as Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. He’s also joined by a slightly lesser known horror regular, Richard Brake, who you might remember from Barbarian and Mandy – he’ll be playing Gepetto, but it’s unclear who Englund will be appearing as.
Pinocchio: Unstrung is due out sometime next year, alongside Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning, and Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, a team-up film between the lot of them, but no specific release dates have been set just yet.