Expired copyright – Mickey is about to go on a horror trip – culture

An early version of Mickey Mouse lost its copyright protection. This paves the way for Mickey horror films and other shenanigans. But Disney insists on its rights.

The copyright protection on the short black and white cartoon “Steamboat Willie” from 1928 expired on January 1, 2024. This makes remakes, spin-offs and adaptations by other artists possible.

Theoretically, anyone can now copy, reuse and adapt “Steamboat Willie” and the original characters that appear in it, such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The first adaptations didn’t take long to arrive: less than 24 hours after the end of copyright protection, the first directors announced two horror films with the famous mouse.

Mickey murders girls

The horror comedy “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” shows a murderer dressed as Mickey Mouse stalking a group of friends in an amusement park, while in an untitled horror comedy, a sadistic mouse tortures unsuspecting passengers on a ferry.

However, Mickey Mouse is not completely freely available. Only the specific depiction of Mickey in “Steamboat Willie” is exempt from copyright protection. The modern Mickey as we know him today is still protected.

Disney has announced that it will continue to protect its “rights to the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that are still subject to copyright,” the company said.

Successful concept

The idea of ​​producing cheap horror using characters available in the public domain has already proven successful: the film “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” was released at the beginning of 2023.

The splatter film with the cute bear grossed $5 million in cinemas worldwide – on a budget of $100,000.

Ridiculously funny?

“We just wanted to have fun with all of this,” said “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” director Jamie Bailey in a trailer posted on YouTube. “Mickey Mouse murdering people is ridiculous.” They would have just gone for it and had fun. The film release of the cheap horror comedy is expected to be in March.

Filmmaker Steven LaMorte – who has already adapted the character “Grinch” into a horror film – is working on his own “twisted” version of Mickey. “Below the cheerful surface of ‘Steamboat Willie’ lies the potential for crazy horror,” said LaMorte. Production on this film is scheduled to begin in the spring.