Thanks to a loophole in American copyright law under which Disney finally stopped getting favors from Congress, the original 1928 version of Mickey Mouse, as the world’s most profitable rodent first appeared in the animated short “Steamboat Willie,” has finally entered the public domain. (That was supposed to happen in 1984, but Disney got a whole new law.)
Making unauthorized use of Mickey Mouse’s later visual incarnations will still get you sued into oblivion by the Maus Haus, but the characters from that one cartoon are fair game.
So of course some assholes are making an animated horror movie, Mickey’s Mouse Trap, which is certain to suck because really, the 1928 cartoon is pretty thin gruel to make a splatter film out of, so why even bother? This just sounds so stupid!
In it, clips from Walt Disney‘s 1928 animated classic Steamboat Willie are shown interspersed with newly-shot footage that tells the story of a mouse mask-wearing killer who stalks college-age kids at an arcade. […]
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.
Why even bother? But yeah, it exists, as does a horror video game called “Infestation 88,” and again, ick. Even the slasher movie makers, to be very careful, include a disclaimer in hopes of avoiding an IP infringement suit from Disney.
In conclusion, something something freedom, something something dicks. When can we finally see Air Pirates Funnies?
OPEN THREAD!
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