Disney’s Steamboat Willie has officially entered the public domain, but there’s a far better way to take advantage of this than with a horror movie. The copyright on this first iteration of Mickey Mouse expired as of January 1st, 2024, which means that anyone can now produce and distribute a film featuring the character. The overwhelming answer to this has been horror movies, and several Steamboat Willie slashers are now in the works. However, this alone indicates that the trend won’t have lasting power.
The short film Steamboat Willie was released by Disney in 1928, and it was the first to feature the iconic character who would later be known as Mickey Mouse. The House of Mouse has held the copyright to this version of the character for 95, but thanks to a US law that dictates that copyright protections are only good for the duration of the creator’s life plus 70 years, Steamboat Willie entered the public domain in 2024. With the popularity of adult-aimed movies like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, it’s no surprise that the first projects taking advantage of this are horror movies.
Several Steamboat Willie Horror Movies Are In The Works
It took less than a day after Steamboat Willie entered the public domain for a horror movie featuring the iconic character to be announced. On January 1st, 2024, a teaser trailer dropped on director Simon Phillips’ YouTube account advertising a horror movie called Mickey’s Mouse Trap, which is expected to release within the year. Then, on January 2nd, director Steven LaMorte (the mind behind the Mr. Grinch-inspired The Mean One horror) announced that he, too, had a Steamboat Willie slasher in the works.
Of course, these Mickey Mouse-inspired horrors wouldn’t be the first of their like. Films like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey have found success doing much the same. However, the director of the Pooh-Bear horror, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, cautions these directors (via Screen Rant) and has stated that he would avoid making a similar movie regardless of what rights are in the public domain. This comes down to Mickey Mouse’s unique popularity, which makes a Steamboat Willie horror unlikely to have the “same kind of longevity” as Blood and Honey.
Frank-Waterfield’s opinion that Mickey Mouse is simply too iconic to duplicate what he did with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is supported by the fact that there are already several in the works. It was the unique concept that made the director’s horror film successful, and that’s clearly not true for a murderous Steamboat Willie if so many similar projects are already coming out of the woodwork. However, this isn’t to say that the character falling into the public domain should be wasted. Instead, Mickey Mouse should be approached more lovingly—like Barbie was.
A Steamboat Willie Movie Should Follow Barbie’s Example Instead
Gerta Gerwig’s Barbie dominated the box office in 2023, bringing in $1.4 billion globally. The director managed this by handling the IP with care, bringing her to the real world in a way that reminded audiences why Barbie is so beloved, to begin with, and showed them how the character could be so much more. With the right idea, something similar could be done with Steamboat Willie‘s Mickey Mouse.
Ultimately, a Steamboat Willie movie that follows Barbie‘s example would still contain the sort of juxtaposition that makes horror movies based on childhood characters so interesting. Barbie was an adult-aimed movie full of raunchy comedy and complex themes, and this contrasted with the innocence often associated with the popular toy. This general idea would be just as satisfying, emotional, and comedic with a character like Mickey Mouse. Even better, it would be a far more respectful and creative response to Steamboat Willie‘s public status than a dozen horror movies.
