What happens when a piece of work featuring a highly-recognisable cartoon character enters the public domain in the United States?

You get a new horror slasher comedy soon to be released worldwide.

Masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse

The trailer for the new horror comedy, "Mickey’s Mouse Trap", was released on Jan. 1, 2024.

The trailer's release date was not coincidental but significant, as it was the day when the version of Mickey Mouse seen in the movie entered the public domain.

No movie release date or distributor has been announced, but The Hollywood Reporter reported that producers are aiming for March 2024.

The synopsis for the film reads: “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.”

A nod to the horror genre

Parts of the trailer are reminiscent of the 2023 horror movie "Five Nights at Freddy’s", which was also set in an entertainment centre.

The movie also appears to take the mickey — pun intended — out of itself.

There is a "Scream"-like self-awareness in this film that references cliches from the horror genre.

One self-referential scene showed a character predicting that another was going to be killed, given that the other character said, “I’ll be right back.”

The character recognising the situation and explaining: "If he was in a horror movie, you’d never say, 'I’ll be right back', because then you... don’t.”

The trailer also featured the words: “A place for fun, a place for friends, a place for hunting. The mouse is out.”

The movie was directed by Jamie Bailey.

Bailey said in a statement: “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s 'Steamboat Willie'‘s Mickey Mouse murdering people. It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”

How public domain works

Those thinking of running amok with derivative works of Mickey Mouse should note that copyright laws apply and Disney still holds the rights to its character.

This is so as it is only Mickey Mouse in his earliest form that has become public domain in 2024, and content creators can make use of the famous rodent but with major limits.

The version to enter the public domain on Jan. 1, 2024 is the more mischievous, rat-like, non-speaking boat captain in "Steamboat Willie".

That character was seen in the old cartoon making musical instruments out of other animals.

That particular piece of intellectual property is no longer protected under copyright law, since it made its first screen release in the 1928 short "Steamboat Willie", featuring both Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

U.S. law allows a copyright to be held for 95 years.

“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” said Disney in a statement, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Disney still separately holds a trademark on Mickey as a corporate mascot and brand identifier.

The law forbids the use of the Mickey character to fool consumers into thinking a product is from the original creator.

Winnie the Pooh entered public domain

Previously, on Jan. 1, 2022, A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh universe, which includes the plot, dialogue, setting, events, and characters, entered the public domain.

This spawned "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey", also a horror movie.

The film takes artistic license from the original Winnie the Pooh character created by English author Milne in 1926.

Top photo via Mickey’s Mouse Trap