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What is the history behind Mickey Mouse’s ‘steamboat Willie’? Exploring the lore amid Disney characters’ horror slasher trailer drop
Steamboat Willie, a 1928 feature film by Disney, entered the public domain on January 1. For the unversed, Steamboat Willie is among the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse.
Mickey Mouse is about to get scary and taint our experiences with the beloved rodent once and for all.
A trailer for a slasher film titled Mickey Mouse Trap dropped on January 1, the day that Disney’s copyright on Steamboat Willie expired in the USA. The trailer that dropped is chilly, to say the least, and features a Mickey Mouse-masked killer with blood stains and violent tendencies.
The trailer shows a group of friends in an arcade where a birthday party has been organized. The eventful night takes a spooky detour when a killer in a Mickey Mouse costume enters the scene. The film does not have a release date yet but is expected to be out by March this year. It is said to be the first-ever live-action Mickey Mouse comedy horror feature film directed by Jamie Bailey.
The film comes out in March, meaning it was put to work long before Disney's copyright on its earliest Mickey Mouse rendition ended on January 1, 2024. Seems like the next generation will never know the iconic rat as we did.
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Steamboat Willie entered the public domain on New Year's Day: Exploring the legacy of the esteemed lore
Steamboat Willie, a 1928 feature film by Disney, entered the public domain on January 1. For the unversed, Steamboat Willie is among the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse. It is also known as the debut of Mickey Mouse as it was this animated film featuring two mice, Mickey and Minnie that introduced the world to the iconic rat. The plot of The Steamboat Willie revolves around Mickey piloting a steamboat. Hence the name, Steamboat Willie. The earliest versions of the celebrated cartoon were drawn by Ub Iwerks with Walt Disney himself providing Mickey’s voice until 1947.
Before the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse by Walt Disney, two Mickey Mouse cartoons titled Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho were produced. They were, however, never released for public consumption.
Mickey Mouse changed Walt Disney’s fortune once and for all. “All of the wonderful things that followed in Walt’s career were founded upon the first screening of a simple little mouse whistling his way into the hearts of audiences all over the world,” noted Rebecca Cline, the director of the Walt Disney Archives.
Disney had a copyright on Steamboat Willie until December 31, 2023. As of January 2021, the copyright on Steamboat Willie ended, thus making it available for public use.
Disney continues to own copyright over latest versions of Mickey Mouse despite the Steamboat Willie update
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the exhibition of the Steamboat Willie copyright and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” a Disney spokesperson said, as reported by Deadline.
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