Mickey Mouse slasher explained as Disney icon enters public domain

Disney short Steamboat Willie entered the public domain this week, and there’s already a slasher movie featuring Mickey Mouse as the killer.

January 1, 2024 was a big day in the world of copyright, with multiple major characters entering the public domain.

JM Barrie’s Peter Pan can now be exploited, as can Tigger from the AA Milne’s books. But the big news is that the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse is now available.

And much like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey in 2023, a horror movie is the first to take advantage of the legal loophole.

Mickey Mouse slasher explained as Disney icon enters public domain

As soon as this early version of the animated mouse entered the public domain, the trailer for a slasher movie called Mickey’s Mouse Trap dropped online.

Reminiscent of 2023’s horror hit Five Nights at Freddy’s, the movie plays out at an amusement arcade, with the killer looking rather a lot like Walt Disney’s most famous creation.

Called “the first-ever live-action Mickey Mouse comedy horror feature film,” there’s also a big disclaimer underneath the trailer on YouTube. One that states: “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. No copyright infringement of later versions of Mickey Mouse or trademark infringements.”

The movie is directed by Jamie Bailey, who says in a statement (as per The Hollywood Reporter): “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie‘s Mickey Mouse murdering people. It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”

The horror movie stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek, and Simon Phillips.

What is Steamboat Willie?

Steamboat Willie is an eight-minute animated short, written and directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Released in November 1928, it features the first onscreen appearances of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse (aside from test screenings of another animated short called Plane Crazy earlier that year).

The plot finds the animated mouse sailing a steamboat, picking up livestock, falling out with the ship’s captain, and meeting Minnie.

And it’s only this iteration of the Mickey character that has entered the public domain, meaning no color, no gloves, and no high-pitched voice.

Mickey’s Mouse Trap doesn’t have a release date, but the filmmakers are hoping to have it out in March. For more movie news, head here.