CNN
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Mickey Mouse has landed a brand new function: horror-movie villain.
At the least two movies starring an early model of the Walt Disney Firm’s well-known mascot had been introduced this week because the copyright for Disney’s 1928 animated quick movie, “Steamboat Willie,” entered the public domain for the primary time.
A teaser trailer for “Mickey’s Mouse Entice,” a live-action movie directed by Jamie Bailey and launched Monday, depicts a gaggle of pals who’re terrorized by somebody in a masks of the smiling rodent at a carnival. “The mouse is out,” the trailer declared.
A movie like this might need been thought of a copyright infringement just some days in the past; Mickey has been synonymous with the Disney model for practically a century. However since US legislation permits copyright to be held for 95 years, on January 1, 2024, Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” copyright formally expired, opening the door for extra Mickey-themed content material.
A second Steamboat Willie horror movie, directed by Steven LaMorte, was introduced Tuesday through a press launch. The movie will begin manufacturing within the Spring of 2024.
“Steamboat Willie has introduced pleasure to generations, however beneath that cheerful exterior lies a possible for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte stated within the launch. “I can’t wait to unleash our twisted tackle this beloved character to the world.
There are some variations between Mickey in “Steamboat Willie” and Disney’s trendy iconic mascot. Steamboat Willie lacks the present Mickey’s gloves and outsized sneakers, and his eyes are small black ovals with out pupils.
A consultant for Disney didn’t instantly reply to CNN’s request for remark in regards to the horror movie bulletins, however final week, the corporate stated that “extra trendy variations of Mickey will stay unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright.”
“We are going to, in fact, proceed to guard our rights within the extra trendy variations of Mickey Mouse and different works that stay topic to copyright, and we are going to work to safeguard in opposition to client confusion brought on by unauthorized makes use of of Mickey and our different iconic characters,” a Disney spokesperson stated.
The 2 movies observe final yr’s “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a slasher movie made doable by the 2022 copyright expiration of A.A. Milne’s unique Winnie the Pooh character.