‘Pinocchio Unstrung’ Sees Wooden Doll Covered in Flesh and Blood as Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield Teases ‘Kooky, Crazy and Fun’ ‘Avengers’-Style ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

Barging through the doors of the Poohniverse nose-first, Pinocchio has officially come to the company of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi and Peter Pan with Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s “Pinocchio Unstrung.” The latest addition to the ever-growing roster of twisted takes on childhood icons, which started with 2023’s “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey,” sees Carlo Collodi’s classic puppet taking his dreams of being a boy a step too far…

The fifth entry on the expanding Poohniverse, also known as the Twisted Childhood Universe, “Pinocchio Unstrung” first finds young boy James grieving the loss of a dear childhood friend. Seeing his grandson suffer, Geppetto (Richard Brake) gifts him a new companion, the titular puppet. Soon, Pinocchio – under the influence of a sinister Cricket (Robert Englund) — goes on a killing rampage to free James from everyone evil around him, and becoming a real boy in the process — one piece at a time.

Speaking with Variety following two successful screenings of the film at the Raindance Film Festival, Frake-Waterfield says his Jagged Edge Productions banner now has a wide roster of possible IPs to adapt, which means they need to carefully consider who to welcome into this intricate, gory world. “Pinocchio tonally matched my style because there were two routes you could take: a creepy doll like ‘Anabelle’ or more of a campy, crafty and fun route, which is where I decided to go. I’m naturally that kind of director who likes to make things feel fun and kooky. It’s not a film intended to be taken dead seriously.”