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.

  • @agitatedpotato
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    711 months ago

    If it’s the character thats the face of the organization that is the reason copyright law has been strengthened and enforced with iron rulings, then yes it damn well should happen. Disney is simply reaping what they sewed and they earend every last bit of it and more.