Mickey Mouse Horror Films Announced as Disney Copyright Expires

Later, more sophisticated iterations of Mickey Mouse, such as those seen in 1940 Disney feature 'Fantasia,' are not in the public domain, and cannot be copied. Robyn Beck / AFP/File
Later, more sophisticated iterations of Mickey Mouse, such as those seen in 1940 Disney feature 'Fantasia,' are not in the public domain, and cannot be copied. Robyn Beck / AFP/File
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Mickey Mouse Horror Films Announced as Disney Copyright Expires

Later, more sophisticated iterations of Mickey Mouse, such as those seen in 1940 Disney feature 'Fantasia,' are not in the public domain, and cannot be copied. Robyn Beck / AFP/File
Later, more sophisticated iterations of Mickey Mouse, such as those seen in 1940 Disney feature 'Fantasia,' are not in the public domain, and cannot be copied. Robyn Beck / AFP/File

Oh boy! Barely 24 hours after Disney's initial copyright on Mickey Mouse expired, two new indie horror films starring the beloved character have been announced.
"Steamboat Willie," the first Disney movie to feature Mickey, entered the public domain under US law on Monday, 95 years on from its initial release.
That means anyone is now free to copy, share, reuse and adapt the primitive, early versions of the characters that appear within the film, including Mickey and his girlfriend Minnie.
Despite warnings from Disney that it would seek to safeguard its most iconic character, opportunistic filmmakers had been expected to quickly announce their own unofficial remakes and adaptations -- and they did not disappoint.
"Mickey's Mouse Trap" will feature a masked killer dressed as Mickey stalking a group of young friends through an amusement arcade, while another untitled horror-comedy sees a sadistic mouse tormenting unsuspecting ferry passengers.
"We just wanted to have fun with it all," said "Mickey's Mouse Trap" director Jamie Bailey, in a trailer posted on YouTube.
"I mean it's Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse murdering people. It's ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows."
The low-budget horror-comedy is expected to launch in March.
Meanwhile filmmaker Steven LaMorte -- known for "The Mean One," a 2022 slasher romp inspired by The Grinch -- is working on his own "twisted take" on Mickey.
"'Steamboat Willie' has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror," he said in a press release.
Production on the untitled film is due to begin this spring.
Both projects are reminiscent of "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey," a micro-budget slasher film that drew headlines last year after the copyright on the first A.A. Milne books expired.
Analysts say Disney will be watching closely, and is likely to send in the lawyers if anyone oversteps.
Only the earliest, black-and-white version of Mickey is in the public domain -- not the colorful character from later Disney films like "Fantasia."
And trademark protections mean that any film or product that could mislead consumers into thinking it was made by Disney could be liable.
"We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright, and we will work to safeguard against consumer confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey and our other iconic characters," said a Disney statement.
But LaMorte told Variety he was not concerned.
"We are doing our due diligence to make sure there's no question or confusion of what we're up to," he said.
"This is our version of a public domain character."



Schwarzenegger Tells Environmentalists Dismayed by Trump to ‘Stop Whining’ and Get to Work 

US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Schwarzenegger Tells Environmentalists Dismayed by Trump to ‘Stop Whining’ and Get to Work 

US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
US-Austrian actor, businessman and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks as he attends a panel discussion during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 2025. (AFP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for environmentalists who despair at the approach of President Donald Trump's administration: “Stop whining and get to work.”

The new US administration has taken an ax to Biden-era environmental ambitions, rolled back landmark regulations, withdrawn climate project funding and instead bolstered support for oil and gas production in the name of an “American energy dominance” agenda.

Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, has devoted time to environmental causes since leaving political office in 2011.

He said Tuesday he keeps hearing from environmentalists and policy experts lately who ask, “What is the point of fighting for a clean environment when the government of the United States says climate change is a hoax and coal and oil is the future?”

Schwarzenegger told the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, an event he helps organize, that he responds: “Stop whining and get to work.”

He pointed to examples of local and regional governments and companies taking action, including his own administration in California, and argued 70% of pollution is reduced at the local or state level.

“Be the mayor that makes buses electric; be the CEO who ends fossil fuel dependence; be the school that puts (up) solar roofs," he said.

“You can't just sit around and make excuses because one guy in a very nice White House on Pennsylvania Avenue doesn't agree with you,” he said, adding that attacking the president is “not my style” and he doesn't criticize any president when outside the US.

“I know that the people are sick and tired of the whining and the complaining and the doom and gloom,” Schwarzenegger said. “The only way we win the people's hearts and minds is by showing them action that makes their lives better.”