By Weston Kelly and Blake Kim
(read our first article on the franchise: “This Pooh is Unbearable”)
Although the quality of Winne the Pooh, Blood and Honey 2 remains poor, the overall plot and entertainment of this peculiar movie have improved dramatically when compared to the first. The second film in the franchise ties up many loose plot holes with the exposition of new information, while the sheer laughability allowed us to enjoy the watch.
First of all, the production budget was 1 million dollars—an absurdly high amount for the final product. The special effects department certainly received a negligible portion of this as multiple scenes contained comically inadequate special effects, leaving us puzzled as to how the release was permitted. We constantly joked about the lack of effort put into many uses of what seemed like Adobe Photoshop animations. In the opening scene, Winne the Pooh creatively forges a plan to eradicate a group of teens in an RV by lighting it on fire. However, the CGI fire added to the shot took away from the intended terror; instead evoking laughter at the dreadful special effects.
Soon after, the mood was changed again by a brutal yet creative way to end an irrelevant side character’s screen time: releasing a bear trap on her cranium. The producers of Winnie the Pooh, Blood and Honey 2 utilized this bear trap to signify death throughout the movie, appearing in many of the horrific scenes this movie offers. Although this symbolism already provokes thought, we believe the bear trap should have ended Pooh’s life, providing irony that would make the movie more interesting altogether.
As for the plot, the first Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey film had no solid structure or motive for the killing sprees undertaken by the despicable villains; however, that changed with the release of this film. Pooh and his murderous companions were created by a mad scientist experimenting on little kids: Christopher Robin’s old best friends. Christopher uncovers this bombshell revelation during a psychic examination. He remembers seeing a man kidnap his friends; a later encounter expands upon this and explains the rest of the story. The man, desperate for money, stole the seven children and brought them to the scientist. He then proceeded to create the manic monstrosities terrorizing the small town of Ashville. They seek revenge upon their creator and share a deep hatred for humanity because of it. Although entirely impossible, the kidnapping of seven children remaining an unsolved mystery does somewhat recover the plot from the tragic position the first movie left it in.
Despite the poor animation, Winne the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 outshines its prior movie, providing better plot points, symbolism, and overall cohesiveness. The jaw-dropping plot twist and decent acting tie the movie together, ensuring that watchers from all over the world enjoy this film. Additionally, the silly effects allowed for us to take a comedic stand, relieving any tension that came from the gory, yet innovative scenes. Evidently, Winne the Pooh, Blood and Honey 2 improved greatly from its first movie, and we cannot wait for many more to come with iconic lines such as, “It’s Pooh Time.”