No, this isn’t April Fools Day (we ran those articles yesterday), but there is no denying that this might be one of the strangest choices ever made for translating an animated property into live-action.
Hot on the heels of the announcement of a live-action remake of Mulan, Deadline has broken the news today that Disney will be charging forward with a live-action adaptation of one of their classic animated properties: Winnie The Pooh.
Following in the direction of another upcoming Disney remake (Pete’s Dragon), the studio has hired indie filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Philip) to write and possibly direct a new take on the beloved property, which will see an adult Christopher Robin revisiting the Hundred Acre Wood and the iconic characters that inhabit it.
As odd as the plot sounds, this story has actually been done before. Steven Spielberg’s Hook had a grown Peter Pan (played by the late Robin Williams) thrust back into the world of Neverland, where he goes on a journey to not only save his children but to reclaim the youthful spirit he had once possessed. It’s possible that this version of Winnie The Pooh might go in the same direction, with a grown-up Robin revisiting his days with Winnie and company as a young boy.
This won’t be the only Disney remake to lean in a revisionist direction. The aforementioned Pete’s Dragon remake will be updated to a modern day setting with new characters and different circumstances, while Tim Burton will most likely have fun with his version of Dumbo.
With this film on the way, that brings the total of upcoming live-action Disney remakes to seven. In no particular order: The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, Beauty and the Beast, a sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Mulan and of course, Winnie The Pooh.
What do you think? Any thoughts on the idea of a live-action Winnie the Pooh? Are you surprised at the number of upcoming live-action Disney remakes?
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