Pinocchio Goes Rogue as Twisted Horror Take From the ‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey’ Team Unveils First Trailer For ‘Pinocchio Unstrung’
A new horror film is taking one of the world’s most famous fairy tale characters and turning the story into something far darker. The upcoming movie Pinocchio Unstrung presents a violent version of the wooden puppet who is willing to do anything to become human.
In this new take, Pinocchio is no longer an innocent figure dreaming of life as a real boy. Instead, the story follows him as he becomes obsessed with transforming himself into something real. After learning that humans are made of flesh and organs, he sets out to obtain what he believes he needs in brutal ways.
The film comes from the same creative team behind Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey are once again working together under Jagged Edge Productions to create another horror twist on a childhood story.
First trailer for the ‘PINOCCHIO’ horror movie set in the Poohniverse.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 2, 2026
In theaters later this year. pic.twitter.com/oC9oVZWSwj
This time, the focus is on Geppetto and his creation. Geppetto is played by Richard Brake. The puppet’s dark journey is influenced by a sinister version of Jiminy Cricket, voiced by Robert Englund, known for playing Freddy Krueger. In the trailer, this twisted cricket encourages Pinocchio as he begins his violent transformation.
Frake-Waterfield explained his approach to the film, saying, “We built Pinocchio as a fully practical animatronic because I wanted him to feel real.” He also described the story as “a twisted coming-of-age story told from the puppet’s perspective: a creation struggling for autonomy while being manipulated by the sinister forces around him, from Robert Englund’s sinister ‘Jiminy Cricket’ to Richard Brake’s obsessive Geppetto.”
The cast also includes Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, and Peter De Souza-Feighoney. Emmy-winning effects artist Todd Masters worked on the practical animatronics to bring the character to life in a physical form rather than relying only on digital effects.
The film is part of a growing collection of horror stories known as the Twisted Childhood Universe. This shared world already includes the original Blood and Honey and its sequel, along with projects such as Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. More films are in development, including a crossover project that will bring several of these characters together.
Frake-Waterfield confirmed that the universe will continue to expand, saying, “Our Twisted Childhood Universe continues to grow in darker and more ambitious ways as we’re gearing up for Poohniverse Monsters Assemble!”
ITN Distribution will handle the film’s release, though an official theatrical date has not yet been announced.
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