You might’ve missed it, but yesterday, New Year’s Day, Mickey Mouse became public domain. That’s right, the most famous mouse in the world is no longer the sole property of Disney and can be used in all sorts of content from pretty much anyone. Well, I should clarify that it’s just the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 animated classic. When it happened, I tweeted that soon we’ll have “The Steamboat Mickey Murders” to look forward to. I was wrong…the title is different. And there are multiple horror films on the way.
Following in the footsteps of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, we have a teaser trailer for slasher film Mickey’s Mouse Trap. The footage weaves footage from the original cartoon with live-action stuff featuring a killer in a Mickey Mouse mask. >sigh<
Here’s the synopsis: 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 film was directed and edited by Jamie Bailey and written by Simon Phillips.
Meanwhile, the producing team behind Terrifer 2 has their own Steamboat Willie horror-comedy on the way. The untitled film comes from director/producer Steven LaMorte, who previously directed the Grinch-inspired horror, The Mean One (our review here), so he’s old hat at turning beloved fairy tales into stories soaked in blood.
Deadline describes LaMorte’s film this way: LaMorte’s Steamboat Willie horror comedy watches as a late-night boat ride turns into a desperate fight for survival in New York City when a mischievous mouse becomes a monstrous reality. Can a motley crew survive a killer creature with a taste for tourists?
Keep in mind that later versions of Mickey Mouse remain solely the property of Walt Disney, and that’s how they’ll be for the time being. A rep for Disney stated, “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.”
