Disney’s iconic character, Mickey Mouse, is now in the public domain, and companies are wasting no time utilizing him in new media content.
On January 1, 2024, The Walt Disney Company gave up its rights to own Mickey Mouse, meaning anyone can use the iconic character in media — including in paintings, cartoons, novels, songs, etc. The Walt Disney Company also gave up exclusive rights to Mickey’s girlfriend, Minnie Mouse.
And it seems companies are wasting no time in utilizing the iconic mouse as a Mickey Mouse horror-comedy film is now in the works.
Similar to the popular film, ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s,’ the new film, titled, ‘Mickey Mouse’s Trap,’ will follow a person in a Mickey Mouse costume who stalks and murders others inside a Chuck E. Cheese-type place.
New Horror Film, ‘Mickey Mouse’s Trap,’ In The Works
First look & poster for ‘MICKEY’S MOUSETRAP’, a new Mickey Mouse horror movie releasing in March. pic.twitter.com/DIXyETnCsT
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 2, 2024
The official synopsis reads, “It’s Alex’s 21st birthday, but she’s stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive.”
The trailer teases the new movie by using the tagline, “A place for fun, a place for friends, a place for hunting. The mouse is out.”
Watch the full trailer below.
The movie was directed by Jamie Bailey, who released a statement following the trailer, admitting “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie‘s Mickey Mouse murdering people. It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will star Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips.
Paul Whitney, Mark Popejoy, Alexander Gausman, and Andrew Agopsowicz are producing with Filmcore’s Mem Ferda co-producing.
The Walt Disney Company Loses Exclusive Rights To Mickey Mouse
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The copyrights to Mickey and Minnie Mouse have been an ongoing battle for many artists as they have attempted to use the iconic characters in several cartoons, comic strips, films, and merchandise. After finding out about the use of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse outside of The Walt Disney Company, they sued those artists due to copyright infringement.
Now that Mickey Mouse is in the public domain, we can expect to see the character used in various ways — some of which won’t be kid-friendly.
In fact, years ago artist Dan O’Neill attempted to use Mickey and Minnie Mouse in his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” which showed Mickey smuggling drugs and performing very intimate acts on Minnie Mouse.. if you know what we mean.
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Of course, The Walt Disney Company didn’t let that slide and sued O’Neill for copyright infringement. In order to avoid jail time, he agreed to never draw Mickey or Minnie again.
“It’s still a crime for me,” O’Neill said of the lawsuit from years ago.“If I draw a picture of Mickey Mouse, I owe Walt Disney a $190,000 fine, $10,000 more for legal fees, and a year in prison.”
However, as of January 1, 2024, artists are free to draw or use Mickey or Minnie Mouse in any way they please.