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Heeeere's Mickey. One day after officially entering the public domain, the original black-and-white version of Mickey Mouse from 1928's Steamboat Willie has his first non-Disney project, and it's as un-Disney-friendly as it gets — a slasher horror film called Mickey's Mouse Trap.
The film, set for release in March, just unveiled its movie poster and an image of Mickey in full slasher mode. The tagline warns “This is not the funhouse.” Pretty sure that's a reference to Mickey Mouse's clubhouse but since all versions of Mickey that are not the original 1928 black and white incarnation are still protected by copyright, funhouse it is.
On January 1, Mickey Mouse and many other beloved characters from 1928 (including Minnie Mouse and Peter Pan) entered the public domain after their 95-year copyright protection ended, and now we have a glimpse of their creative futures.
In a telling sign that nothing under the sun is new, even Mickey's Mouse Trap is derivative of another idea — last year's surprise horror hit, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
That film took similar creative liberties with A.A. Milne's beloved Winnie the Pooh character after it hit the public domain, sending the pooh bear on a bloody rampage in search of honey. Naturally this film will be getting a sequel in 2024 as well.
And as the New York Times reminds us in a piece about the new public domain entries, Disney is famously litigious and any works inspired by these characters have to strictly adhere to the version that is public domain — or else face the risk of lawsuits. (Just as Ron DeSantis how well facing off against Disney's lawyers is going.)
So don't expect these titles on Disney+ anytime soon, but for those curious about what their favorite childhood characters would be like as terrifying knife-wielding murderers, consider Mickey's Mouse Trap a belated holiday present.
