The Steamboat Willie, also known as the iconic Mickey Mouse, is now open to be used by anyone and everyone. Mickey Mouse was made and owned, proudly, by Walt Disney. One of the most treasured art of Disney is the Steamboat Willie, the whistling, black-and-white Mickey Mouse, riding a boat, that is seen in all opening scenes of Disney movies. This character being in the public domain means that all of its creative expressions and artwork can now be used and there are no rights reserved for the owner.
Disney copyrighted Steamboat Willie, back in 1928 and the copyright claim was renewed twice, each for 28 years. So, the beloved rodent is now at the overly ripe age of 95 years (as of 2023). In 2024, the Disney copyright expired, making Mickey a free entity to be used in different creative forms, aka movies, cartoons, games, and so on. So, here’s everything that happened since our favorite mouse went public.
Mickey’s (Copyright-free) Horror Debut
Mickey Mouse is getting a gruesome make-under in the upcoming survival horror PC game Infestation 88. The trailer was released on 1st January 2024 and it’s harrowing, to say the least. The story is set in the 1980s, where you, as the player, are responsible for exterminating. This looks like a sinister rodent infestation, in which Mickey Mouse will make his grizzly appearance as a bloodthirsty killer as well. Infestation 88 is available for pre-order now and it will be released sometime in 2024.
Watch the trailer now:
But wait, there’s more!
A slasher-horror film, Mickey’s Mouse Trap also dropped its trailer on 2nd January 2024 and Mickey is not playing in this birthday (bloodbath) bash. Yes, it only took a day after Mickey’s emancipation for us to witness a futuristic vision of the horror genre. It’s a birthday gone wrong in an arcade (very fitting) and a serial killer, donned in a Mickey Mouse costume is on a killing spree. Here’s the trailer.
Now all we have to do is wait till March to find out whether it even lives up to the hype or not.
It’s Raining Memes
The netizens and Gen Z are coping weirdly with all of this Mickey public domain debacle. Mickey and his steamboat crashing through the World Trade Center (because it’s “legal” to do anything now), oceans being battlefields, and putting Mickey in a Pub G-esque game are just some of the viral memes littering all over different social media platforms and people are having a massive field day.
All in all, it seems like the copyright expiration of Mickey Mouse was anticipated by a lot of creators/developers. Only the future knows how creative (or bizarre) the adaptations of Mickey will be. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.
