Mickey Mouse will be a killer mouse in two horror films and without Disney supervision

As soon as the first minute of January 2024 passed, one of the most beloved children’s characters in history entered the public domain and not a day went by before news of a horror film titled Mickey’s Mousetrap and another from director Steven Lamorte.

In the trailer of Mickey’s Mousetrap see the classic animated by Walt Disney Way back in 1928, The steamboat Willieinterspersed with freshly baked images that tell a story the story of a killer in a mouse mask who, in the manner of a Stephen King character, haunts young college students.

The trailer of the horror comedy, therefore, suggests that the killer is none other than baby mouse. The film does not yet have a release date, “but the producers are aiming for March”, according to specialized media such as Variety and Espinof.

As for production on Lamorte’s film, it will begin in the spring and will follow a sadistic rat who torments a group of unsuspecting ferry passengers named none other than Steamboat Willie.

The plot of the killer mouse

The topic of Mickey’s Mousetrap revolves around Alex’s 21st birthday: nighttime games, friends who decide to surprise her with a party, but in reality it will be a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse who decides to play a game of his own with them. Surviving will be the question.

The cosmetic operation is similar to the one that led to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honeywhen AA Milne’s original entered the public domain in 2021, a horror satire that transformed the teddy bear into a vengeful animal character.

In other words, the wide creative range allowed by the public domain will give something to talk about. The Mickey Mouse Trap stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips.

It’s directed by Jamie Bailey, who said in a statement: “We just wanted to have fun. I mean, it’s the Mickey Mouse of The steamboat Willie kill people. It’s ridiculous. “We stuck with the idea and had fun making it and I think it shows.”

It is now in the public domain

From January 1, 2024, Disney will lose the copyright on the original version of Mickey Mouse in the famous animated short film The steamboat Willie of 1928, second United States Copyright Law.

After 95 years after the creation of the famous Disney mouse, the copyright expires in 2024. When the film and the Mickey Mouse character were released, the company secured the copyright for the next 56 years.

Some time later, after that period was over, the company pushed to extend the term to 75 years, which ended in a legal battle which was resolved with an extension until 2024

Now, Any cartoonist, director, writer and composer will be free to do whatever they want with the first versions of the beloved mouse.

Mickey Mouse first appeared in the black and white cartoon The steamboat Willie, created by animator Ubbe Iwwerks, at the request of Walt Disney. The cartoon was a pioneer in animation for its use of synchronized sound, where movements on the screen correspond to music and sound effects, launching one of the most recognizable images in film and television.

In the 1928 film, a mute Mickey Mouse appears, whose longer nose looks more like that of a mouse, painted with rudimentary eyes, without pupils. Subsequent versions of the character remain protected by copyright, although they will also be in the public domain in the coming decades.

In practice, the expiration of copyright The steamboat Willie means that the black and white short film can be shown without Disney’s permission. However, Disney released it for free on YouTube a few years ago.

The granting of rights to popular works is quite recent, as Congress expanded copyright terms in 1998, and almost 20 years have passed without anything entering the public domain.

The works began losing copyright protection again in 2019, and it has since been open season on the book’s use. The Great Gatsbythe music of Rhapsody in blue and the character Winnie the Pooh.