Jagged Edge Productions has unveiled the highly anticipated trailer for Bambi: The Reckoning, revealing a grotesque reimagining of the beloved childhood character as a vengeful, mutated deer who ruthlessly hunts down hunters in the woods. Directed by Dan Allen with a screenplay by Rhys Warrington, the film marks the fourth installment in the rapidly expanding Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) following the two Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films and the recently released Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. The trailer showcases the twisted tale of Bambi’s transformation from innocent fawn to murderous monster, targeting humans after the death of his mother at the hands of hunters.
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The footage reveals stars Roxanne McKee as Xana and Tom Mulheron as her son Benji, who become stranded in the wilderness after a car accident, crossing paths with the vengeful deer. Unlike the gentle, wide-eyed fawn from the Disney classic, this version of Bambi appears with massive, pointed antlers and unnaturally sharp teeth, towering over his human prey. The trailer keeps most of the focus on Bambi himself, showing only glimpses of the creature stalking through foggy woods and attacking unsuspecting victims.
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The film’s premise centers on Bambi’s transformation into a monster after witnessing his mother’s death at the hands of hunters. Now fully grown and with an insatiable bloodlust, Bambi stalks the forest seeking revenge against all humans who enter his territory. When Xana and her son become stranded, they find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against the woodland predator, who appears to be far more intelligent and sadistic than a typical animal.
How The Twisted Childhood Universe Is Building Its Horror Franchise
The Bambi: The Reckoning trailer arrives as Jagged Edge Productions continues their ambitious plan to build a shared horror universe around twisted versions of public domain children’s characters. The TCU is taking inspiration from superhero cinematic universes by introducing individual villains in standalone films before bringing them together in the announced crossover event Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. This approach allows the franchise to explore different horror subgenres while maintaining connective tissue between entries. As Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare director Scott Chambers told ComicBook, “With the Poohniverse in general, every single entry will feel different to the last, and that is to open it up to different audiences.”
Chambers has also warned that when these characters do come together, no one will be safe: “It’s going to be wild and I want to kill a lot of [characters] in it,” he told ComicBook. “I want it to be nasty. Anyone you get attached to and you’re getting fond of, don’t trust that they’re going to survive. As a storyteller, I don’t like stuff where no one dies and there’s no stakes. These introductory films, do not think Wendy will survive it, or Christopher Robin will survive it. None of them are safe.”
Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who directed the two Winnie-the-Pooh movies, has described the upcoming Monsters Assemble as being “heavily influenced by Freddy Vs Jason and The Avengers,” with plans for Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Piglet, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, the Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell to join forces “to wreak havoc.” Meanwhile, the franchise strategically positions each villain with distinct personalities and motivations to create interesting dynamics when they eventually meet.
Bambi: The Reckoning will be released in Summer 2025.
Will you be watching Bambi: The Reckoning in theaters? How do you feel about the Twisted Childhood Universe so far? Let us know in the comments!
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