Summary
- Mickey Mouse’s earliest appearance in Steamboat Willie is now in the public domain, allowing anyone to use it without permission from Disney.
- A Mickey Mouse horror movie entitled Mickey’s Mouse Trap capitalizes on Mickey’s public domain status, featuring him as a masked killer.
- Tigger is now included in the public domain and will be part of the upcoming Winnie the Pooh slasher movie sequel, releasing this year.
Following the release, and unexpected box office success, of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, there are many people with one eye firmly on the next big name to hit the public domain. While this year’s list of copyright escapees included the addition of Tigger to the available A.A. Milne characters from the Hundred-Acre Wood, he was usurped for the title of the biggest public domain entrants for 2024 – Mickey Mouse.
While the iconic Disney character’s best known appearance – that being white gloves, red shorts and big yellow shoes – is still firmly in the hands of the House of Mouse, his earliest appearance in Steamboat Willie can now be used by anyone without needing to seek permission from the company most likely to take anyone to court who infringes on one of their copyrights. And it has not taken long for the first attempt to try and capitalize on the change by stepping into the arena – a Mickey Mouse horror movie entitled Mickey’s Mouse Trap.
The first trailer for the release hit YouTube within hours of the new public domain status of Mickey becoming official on January 1. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the movie’s director Jamie Bailey explained the thought process behind the film. He said:
“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.”
The description of the movie 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 film, which does not yet have a release date, stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek, and Simon Phillips. You can check out the trailer below.
Related:14 Famous Movie Characters in the Public Domain for Anyone to Use
Tigger Joins the Public Domain – and the Blood and Honey Sequel
Jagged Edge Productions/ITN Studios
Thanks to the arrival of Winnie the Pooh into the public domain in 2023, the world was given a slice of horror that was previously out of bounds – a slasher movie based on the honey-loving bear and other characters from the works of A.A. Milne. However, just like this year’s addition of Mickey Mouse, there were some caveats that prevented all Winnie the Pooh characters and attributes from being used in the release of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Release Date February 15, 2023
Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Cast Natasha Tosini , Amber Doig-Thorne , Craig David Dowsett
Rating R
Runtime 1hr 24min
Writers Rhys Frake-Waterfield
This included any aspect of the character that did not come directly from Milne’s books and the illustrations with them, specifically, anything that was added to the character in his Disney iteration. It also did not allow the use of Tigger in the movie, as the character did not appear in Milne’s original Pooh story. However, this year, more of Milne’s work entered the public domain, and now the bouncy tiger is heading into the slasher franchise’s sequel, which is expected to be released later this year.
You can view the original article HERE.
