The Challenges of Creating a Steamboat Willie Horror Film

The Struggle of Transforming a Beloved Character

With Disney's earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse now in the public domain, several projects have already been announced, including a slasher film starring Steamboat Willie as the killer, which already faces problems. Turning a popular children's icon into a horror character could be a huge issue, but it's not the only one the film will face. With Mickey Mouse's copyright expiring, it makes sense to want to cash in on Disney's mascot, but going down the horror path may not be the best route to success. Despite the character's notoriety, simply shoehorning him into a slasher project won't guarantee a hit movie.

Edited image of Matthew Lillard in Five Nights At Freddy's & Ghostface from Scream

While all iterations of Mickey Mouse aren't public domain, the Steamboat Willie version is, allowing the public to get creative without fear of copyright. This led to the creation of a Steamboat Willie horror film titled Mickey's Mouse Trap, and the trailer doesn't look too promising for the project. Turning such a popular and likable character into a murderer is already a hard sell considering the concept doesn't fit the friendly mascot. The movie will also have to explain why Mickey Mouse is on a murder spree and combine this with other interesting plot points. Even if Mickey's Mouse Trap manages to pull all of this off, it still faces other key problems.

Winnie the Pooh Blood and Honey and Mickey and Friends

Lack of Originality and Self-Awareness

On the surface, a slasher film with a killer Mickey Mouse could be so crazy that it works, but the reality is there aren't many original ideas in the trailer. Elements of Mickey's Mouse Trap look exactly like Five Nights at Freddy's. The family-orientated, kid-friendly setting turning into a venue for a murder spree has already been done recently by the video game adaptation. Likewise, the supposedly wholesome mascots turning into killers were also showcased in FNAF. While this may seem positive considering Five Nights at Freddy's achieved box office records, it doesn't present the Steamboat Willie film as anything original.

Even the meta-awareness the trailer showcases mimics Scream's signature style. Mickey's Mouse Trap has one character joking about their friend making the sort of comment a horror character would, clearly parodying its own surroundings. This is the same self-awareness Scream shows and indicates the Mickey Mouse slasher film is lacking in terms of original ideas. There could still be potential for the project to have some twists and genuinely strong storytelling moments, but the trailer fails to showcase this. Instead, Mickey's Mouse Trap runs the risk of poorly cashing in on Disney's iconic character entering the public domain despite having few interesting ideas.

Following a Disappointing Trend

The Mickey Mouse horror film seems to be following the same disappointing trend of turning popular children's characters into low-quality horror films. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey had a very similar vibe last year, turning a sweet and innocent character into a killer. Sometimes these sorts of projects fit into the so bad they're good category, but the Winnie the Pooh movie didn't even manage that. Although the first movie received terrible reviews, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 received confirmation, which is why this trend seems to be continuing with Mickey's Mouse Trap.

These ideas may not produce the most inspired films, but they do attract enough intrigue to make money and, in Blood and Honey's case, produce sequels. A Steamboat Willie horror film may not win movie of the year, but it does have all the potential to profit and become a massive talking point. Mickey Mouse isn't the only major franchise losing its copyright in the 2020s, meaning this trend may continue for years to come. With the money that can be made through these cheap horror films, Mickey's Mouse Trap looks to be part of an ever-growing list, and there is no end in sight to this trend of movies.