If you look back on your childhood, Winnie the Pooh is an adorable anthropomorphic bear who loves his honey. It would be delightful viewing for an elementary school teacher to choose from a number of this bear’s films or TV series for the class. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. A Florida teacher accidentally showed his class of fourth graders Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
CBS News Miami reported that parents made complaints to the K-12 charter school, The Academy of Innovative Education, about a “careless teacher” showing his students a horror film. Parent Michelle Diaz said her fourth-grade twins felt very upset after watching the movie.
“They were exposed 20 to 30 minutes to a movie called “Winnie the Pooh: [Blood and Honey],” explained Diaz. “He didn’t stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want to want this.'”
Diaz said that while the students picked the film, the teacher should have looked at the content first before showing it. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey received an NR for Not Rated which might have led to the confusion. However, it’s incredibly graphic and gory.
The Miami school’s headteacher, Vera Hirsh, released a statement to UNILAD about the accidental class viewing.
“Last week, a video was mistakenly shown by a teacher during indoor lunch. Only the first 20 minutes of the movie were played. During those first 20 minutes, there was a scary scene that was shown. At that point, the teacher turned off the video,” said Hirsh. “Parents were reassured that the school has followed all school district policies and procedures in response to the incident and will continue to support the students’ safety and well-being on a daily basis.”
Why is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey inappropriate for children?
British filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield made the independent slasher movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. This horror reimagining has Christopher Robin leaving Pooh Bear and Piglet to go to college. When he returns five years later to Hundred Acre Wood, he discovers Pooh Bear and Piglet are vengeful bloodthirsty murderers. Common Sense Media says characters die the same way seen in any R-rated slasher movie. Sledgehammers, blades, decapitated, strangulation, and more. Absolutely NOT for kids.
Vera Hirsch claims to the Miami New Times that students saw no violence, as those scenes didn’t come until later in the movie. She said the school is “actively monitoring” its students with a mental health counselor to meet with the ones affected by the film.
Despite the horror film’s mediocre reviews and earning 3% on Rotten Tomatoes, a sequel is still in the works. Frake-Waterfield is also planning a shared universe franchise, including a horror version of Bambi and Peter Pan.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is currently available to stream online through Peacock.
