Topline
A horror game featuring a murderous Mickey Mouse and an independent British slasher film starring a person in a Mickey costume are among the first projects featuring the famous Disney animated character, after copyright for the character’s original version expired Monday.
Two horror projects featuring the original Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse were revealed on … [+] Monday as Disney’s copyright on that version of the character expired.
Key Facts
A trailer for “Infestation 88,” a first-person action horror game starring a blood-covered Mickey Mouse as the primary antagonist, was listed on the PC gaming marketplace Steam on Monday.
The game is being developed by studio Nightmare Forge, which describes the title as a co-operative horror game featuring “twisted versions of classic characters and urban legends” that are now in the public domain.
Another horror take on the Disney character was shown off in a teaser trailer for a British independent slasher film called “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” featuring a twisted take on the character’s first appearance in the “Steamboat Willie” movie from 1928.
The film, which appears similar to 2023 slasher flick “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” features a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse.
The two horror takes on the popular children’s character are among the first projects featuring the earliest version of Mickey Mouse whose copyrights expired at the start of the year.
News Peg
Even though the earliest version of Mickey Mouse is now a public-domain character, both projects contain clear disclaimers noting that they are in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Disney. The film trailer’s description also notes it is making use of the “Steam Boat Willie Mickey Mouse only,” as a likely effort to ward off Disney’s lawyers.
Crucial Quote
Disney said of the copyright expiring on the first Mickey Mouse: “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.”
Key Background
Directed by Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks, Steamboat Willie was released in 1928 and featured the first depiction of Disney’s now-iconic mascot mouse and his female companion Minnie. The nearly eight-minute animated short was considered groundbreaking at the time for featuring synchronized sound. That version of Mickey was originally set to enter the public domain in 1984—75 years after its release—but Disney and other studios successfully lobbied Congress to change the law to extend their copyright first until 2004 and then 2024. Despite losing the copyright on the character, Disney still holds the trademark on Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, meaning people looking to adapt the Steamboat Willie version of the mouse for their project will still be limited in how they can promote the character. Both depictions revealed so far are sticking to a black-and-white version of Mickey, just like the original Steamboat Willie cartoon.
What To Watch For
Whether there is any interest in a non-Disneyfied version of Mickey among the public. A horror film from last year, “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey”, was first announced in 2022 after A. A. Milne’s 1926 book entered the public domain. Made on a relatively modest budget of $100,000, the film raked in nearly $5 million worldwide, thanks to online buzz. In comparison, the two Mickey trailers have received tepid online reception so far with only around 550,000 views for the “Infestation 88” trailer posted on gaming news outlet IGN’s YouTube channel and around 100,000 views for the film trailer.
Further Reading
