‘Winnie the Pooh’ Origin Story Prequel in the Works at Baboon Animation, IQI
A film prequel and series to A.A. Milne’s beloved book “Winnie-the-Pooh” is in the works at Baboon Animation and IQI Media, Inc.
DreamWorks alumnus Mike de Seve (“Madagascar,” “Monsters vs. Aliens”) will direct, and co-write with fellow DreamWorks alum John Reynolds (“The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show”) the newest iteration of the adventures of the cuddly honey-loving bear and his friends.
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Baboon (“Angry Birds,” “Gigantosaurus”) a story development and screenwriting company for the global animation industry, which has collectively won 31 Emmys, has teamed with IQI, a content incubator lab and subsidiary of Winvest Group, to produce the prequel. Baboon is helmed by de Seve.
Another DreamWorks alum Charlene Kelly (“Next Gen”), now CIO at Winvest, and Khiow Hui Lim, the founder of IQI and CSO of Winvest, will executive produce.
Reynolds said: “We’re telling the surprising origin story of the silly young bear and his friends, when they were still kids, in a way designed to connect with 21st-century kids.”
Kelly said: “A.A. Milne’s bear has aged gracefully in the last hundred years. But what happened, back-when, that made him and his pals who they are in the book? A heck of a big adventure, that’s what – one that needs a big screen. Audiences will be transported to somewhere they never expected.”
Added de Seve: “I think this unsinkable young cub is totally relatable for today’s kids, with his hell-bent craving for honey and his ludicrous schemes to get it. The whole gang is hilarious, and are even more hilarious as kids, we’re finding out.”
The Baboon team has noted the success of the “Peter Rabbit” and “Paddington” reboots and is planning to apply its knowledge of entertainment for today’s kids to create characters they hope will resonate with all generations.
Baboon and IQI will release the feature in 2024, followed immediately by the series.
Meanwhile, Milne’s Pooh stories went into the public domain earlier this year and filmmakers have been quick to leap on the opportunity. “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” has wrapped and the first stills showing a demonic Pooh and Piglet about to pounce on a scantily-clad young woman relaxing in a hot tub went viral.
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