The trailer for the slasher movie was released as the cartoon character entered the public domain.

It’s Mickey, but not as you’ve ever seen him before.

A trailer for a slasher film, featuring a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse, was released on 1 January, the day that Disney’s copyright on the earliest versions of the cartoon character expired in the US.

“We wanted the polar opposite of what exists,” the movie’s producer said.

A new Mickey-inspired horror game, showing the rodent covered with blood stains, also dropped on the same day.

Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, entered the public domain in the US on New Year’s Day.

It means cartoonists, novelists and filmmakers can now rework and use the earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie.

  • Chozo@kbin.social
    712·
    11 months ago

    This looks awful, like that Pooh movie. This “make a horror story out of expired copyrights” trend is gonna get old, fast.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        1213·
        11 months ago

        Absolutely fuck Disney, but Disney got fucked (from their perspective) by copyright law, not this movie. Maybe you could say the movie thumbs its nose at Disney, but the “damage” has already been done because Steamboat Willie is already public domain. Now should be the time for people to look for interesting things to do with the material. Instead, we’re getting whatever this is.

        • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
          131·
          11 months ago

          No. I absolutely will not gatekeep artwork that is used from the public domain. I don’t care. Even if I don’t like it doesn’t mean I will stoop to saying people should or shouldn’t be making it. This comment reeks of elitism.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            74·
            11 months ago

            Elitism? Because I don’t think people should be making shitty movies and shitty video games? If I’m elitist because I don’t want endless movies that would make Ed Wood cringe, guilty.

            • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
              22·
              11 months ago

              Believing people should stop making content just because it’s not your personal choice is cringe.

                • bramblepatchmystery@slrpnk.net
                  1·
                  11 months ago

                  They want both and the market is large enough to support it.

                  I don’t know if it still holds true, but something like 50% of the entire North American independent film market that gets produced each year is horror and christmas films made for about $1.5 million dollars. Each one will sell for about $4-6 million.