A few hours after 'Steamboat Willie' entered public domain and became available for creatives to use in other projects, a trailer of 'Mickey's Mouse Trap' featuring the character as a killer is released.
- Jan 2, 2024
AceShowbiz - A Mickey Mouse horror movie is being released after "Steamboat Willie" entered public domain. Just after midnight on New Year's Day, January 1, the earliest iteration of Disney's iconic character, which first appeared in the iconic 1928 black and white animated short, became available for creatives to use in other projects.
Just hours later, a trailer has dropped for new slasher film "Mickey's Mouse Trap". The movie features a killer sporting a mouse mask to target college-aged kids at a local arcade.
The synopsis reads, "It's Alex's 21st Birthday, but she's stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her... [But] a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive."
The movie was directed, edited and filmed by Jamie Bailey from a script by Simon Phillips. With the "Steamboat Willie" version of Mickey Mouse now in public domain, Disney has clarified there are still some limits, with people having to make sure there is no chance of fans mistaking their projects for a House of Mouse production.
A Disney spokesperson said, "More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the 'Steamboat Willie' copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise. We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright, and we will work to safeguard against consumer confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey and our other iconic characters."
The "Mickey's Mouse Trap" trailer makes sure there is no doubt, with a message attached to the YouTube video. The note reads, "DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT NOT A DISNEY FILM OR PRODUCTION. IT IS NOT TO AFFILIATED OR ENDORSED BY DISNEY IN ANY WAY. This film makes use of Public domain Steam Boat Willie Mickey Mouse only. Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse entered public domain on January 1st 2024."
