A treasure trove of Hollywood intellectual property is heading for the public domain

Trouble is afoot in the Hundred Acre Wood. Christopher Robin, now grown up, returns to his childhood stomping ground to find Eeyore dead, Piglet grown into a snorting wild hog and Pooh wielding a sledgehammer. The feral animals murder anyone in their path—mostly young women, some in bikinis.

A.A. Milne, who created Pooh in 1926, might not have approved of “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey”, a low-budget slasher film due out in February. But no approval from his estate was needed. In January 2022 the copyright on “Winnie-the-Pooh” expired in America and the work entered the public domain. Since then the bear has also featured in a mobile-phone advertisement as “Winnie-the-Screwed”, complaining to Rabbit that his mobile bill is too high.