Mickey Mouse Gets Bloody In Not One But Two New Films 'MICKEY MOUSE TRAP' And 'STEAMBOAT WILLIE'
When characters fall into the public domain, all bets are off and we learned this the hard way with ‘WINNIE THE POOH: Blood And Honey’ and yep you guessed it, a sequel is in the works for that one as well but what about the Mouse? You know who we mean, the BIG CHEESE himself, Mickey Mouse. The original character, Steamboat Willie, is now in the public domain and boy howdy are the movies a-comin.
The first teaser trailer has been unleashed for Mickey’s Mouse Trap, an upcoming low-budget horror movie that was obviously shot before the character fell into the public domain but is only being announced and previewed now that Disney can’t actually come after the filmmaking team.
How is Mickey Mouse in the public domain, you ask? Well, it’s actually the short film Steamboat Willie (1928) that entered the public domain this year, bringing Mickey along with it.
In Mickey’s Mouse Trap…
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.
Director Jamie Bailey tells 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.”
Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips star in the upcoming Mickey’s Mouse Trap.
THR notes that the film could be released as soon as March 2024. Stay tuned.
Now on to the second film we mentioned, STEAMBOAT WILLIE.
Variety has announced today that another untitled Steamboat Willie/Mickey horror movie is already in the works.
Steven LaMorte, who directed last year’s The Mean One – itself a horror movie that turned the iconic “Grinch” character into a slasher maniac… we’re sensing a pattern here, Steven – will sit in the director’s chair for the upcoming untitled horror-comedy, which will of course center on “a sadistic mouse” who will “torment a group of unsuspecting ferry passengers.”
“Steamboat Willie has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte said in a press release. “It’s a project I’ve been dreaming of, and I can’t wait to unleash this twisted take on this beloved character to the world.”
“It all comes from our love of these characters,” he tells Variety. “Filmmakers — we’re all kids in the sandbox. We love taking them and playing with them in different ways. It’s not a desire to ruin these characters or make a quick buck, but to love them and honor them and show them in a new light.”
One thing for filmmakers to be aware of is that the only version of Mickey that’s in the public domain is the original incarnation of the character as seen in the classic Steamboat Willie cartoon, with the more iconic modern day depiction of the character still being off limits. Using the name “Mickey Mouse” will also likely still land you into legal trouble with Disney.
A representative for Disney said in a statement over the weekend, “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.”
Steven LaMorte says of his upcoming Steamboat Willie slasher, “We are doing our due diligence to make sure there’s no question or confusion of what we’re up to. This is our version of a public domain character. It’s a scary thrill ride with heart and humor, based on this character that everybody knows.”
We’ll keep ya updated as we learn more.
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