Mickey Mouse in nightmare mode: Iconic Disney character thrust into public domain spawns horror flick

On Monday, January 1, the initial black-and-white version of Mickey Mouse, recognizable from the short film "Steamboat Willie," transitioned into the public domain. Consequently, Disney no longer holds exclusive rights to this iconic image, thereby permitting any creator to use it.

The first project to capitalize on the availability of Mickey Mouse's character is a horror film. Such a move should not come as a surprise, given the similar trajectory followed by Winnie the Pooh when he entered the public domain and was featured in the film "Pooh: Blood and Honey".

The horror film entitled "Mickey's Mouse Trap" appears to have already been produced. Nevertheless, a distributor has not yet been identified. The creators hope that with a distributor, the film will be available to audiences by March.

The protagonist of the film is Alex, on the day of her 21st birthday celebration. But rather than celebrating, she ends up working a late shift at a gaming salon. Her friends plan a surprise for her, but a masked killer hiding behind a Mickey Mouse disguise decides to play a deadly game with them instead.

The film is directed by Jamie Bailey, and the cast includes Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek, and Simon Phillips.