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The overreach of modern copyright law poses an existential threat to the very soul of our society because it stops artists from reflecting on the (heavily branded and IP laden) world around us, preventing them from asking difficult, essential questions like “What if Mickey Mouse was really fucked up and killed people?” That would be so spooky fr because Disney cartoons aren’t gory like that, but this would be gory. Wait, guys, I literally just scared myself even thinking of that, I’m really freaked out right now. No, seriously.
On January 1, 2024, the 95-year copyright on Disney’s Steamboat Willie animated short expired, and with it that 1928 short film’s version of the world’s most famous cartoon character entered the public domain. Now, people can do pretty much whatever they want with Mickey Mouse, so long as he’s in black-and-white and not doing any modern-Mickey business like wearing red knickers or going out with his boys Donald and Goofy to see Clarabelle Cow perform at Barracuda. That same day, a trailer dropped for a low-budget horror movie called Mickey’s Mouse Trap, featuring a slasher in a busted old Mickey Mouse mask picking off attractive young adults in a rundown arcade after dark. It’s like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey meets Five Nights at Freddy’s. Sure.
The trailer makes it very clear that this is all kosher under copyright: the characters find a rattling old projector playing Steamboat Willie and there’s a Steamboat Willie poster on the wall. The trailer post on actor Simon Phillips’s YouTube page says, “This film makes use of Public domain Steam Boat Willie Mickey Mouse only.” In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, director Jamie Bailey says, “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse murdering people.” You know, that classic character recognized the world over, “Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse.” The trailer ends with the hashtag #themouseisout, although technically the movie doesn’t have a release date yet. Suffice to say it won’t be coming to Disney+ anytime soon.
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