Walt Disney/Courtesy Everett Collection
At 12:01 a.m. this morning, the earliest version of one of the world's most popular children's characters was made publicly available. Shortly after, the trailer for a slasher film called Mickey's Mouse Trap was posted online.
It features excerpts from Walt Disney's 1928 animated classic “Steamboat Willie,” interspersed with newly shot footage that tells the story of a mouse mask-wearing murderer who stalks college-age students in an arcade.
Here's the logline: It's Alex's 21st birthday, but she's stuck working the late shift at the arcade, so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to create a game of his own to play with them that she has to survive.
The film was shot, edited and directed by Jamie Bailey and written by Simon Phillips. A trailer for the Steamboat Willie-inspired horror game Infestation 88 was also released today.
So is there litigation in the filmmakers' future?
“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,” a Disney spokesperson said on the pre- and Disadvantages if the sound-synchronized film is made publicly available today. “We will, of course, continue to protect our rights to the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright, and we will work to protect consumers from confusion caused by the unauthorized use of Mickey and our other iconic characters “The company added.
The sharpest trap Disney can still set to catch anyone who tries to invade its Mickey territory is perception. Even though the original incarnation of AA Milne's beloved character had slipped into the public eye in 2022, no one in their right mind really believed that Disney was behind last year's Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and the entry in slasher films. However, if there is a version of “Mickey or Minnie” from “Steamboat Willie” and/or “Plane Crazy” that in any way misleads consumers to believe that it is from Disney or even suggests that it is, the attorney would of the Mouse House set this project up quicker than a nightly Magic Kingdom parade during a thunderstorm.
In fact, the following is attached to the trailer: “DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A DISNEY MOVIE OR PRODUCTION. IT IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED OR ENDORSED BY DISNEY. Only the public domain “Steam Boat Willie Mickey Mouse” is used in this film. “Mickey Mouse” by Steamboat Willie entered the public domain on January 1, 2024.”
Dominic Patten contributed to this report.