The Horror(!)-ible News for Mickey Mouse

The day that my Mickey Mouse Fantagraphics post was published, I was going through the YouTube feed when I saw that Mickey Mouse is now public domain. I had no earthly idea this happened this year. I thought it expired in 2028. But there you go, and get it in your head people: Mickey Mouse is public domain.

Apparently what happened was only Steamboat Willie lost its copyright at 12:01 AM on January 1st. I don't understand how this means Mickey is public domain since, for example, Wackiki Wabbit and Yankee Doodle Daffy are non-copyright, but nobody can make porn about those characters...at least, for money. But the "early" Iwerks version is free to use, not the Fred Moore redesign. Also, how come John Wayne and Charlie Chaplin are owned by their family's estates, but not lines on paper?

Well, predictably what's come out of this was a horror movie, titled Mickey's Mouse Trap, set for a March release. This is some freaky slasher, according to HollywoodLife, about some college kids at a birthday party being stalked by a nut dressed as Mickey Mouse. Yep, clean wholesome fun for the whole family! 

I don't generally like horror movies a whole bunch, so I won't have a review when it comes out, but expect some future reporting.

Here's what the Disney company has to say:

I don't know how much damage control they can do. I hope they can do something to stop the madness unleashed upon the world.

As much as this news disturbs me, and the same time I applaud the creators for taking advantage of faddish memes to do something like this. I wonder if I should make something.

I do fear for the 2030s, when Bugs Bunny goes public domain. But maybe that'll be good, so someone can make The Bugs Bunny/Mickey Mouse Movie.