Walt Disney’s first Mickey Mouse project, Steamboat Willie, entered the public domain on Monday and in just a few short days there have been several films and video games announced offering up their own takes on the iconic character. Now, another project joins those ranks with the release of The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a shot horror film inspired by Steamboat Willie.
Released by Night Signal Entertainment, the just under ten-minute film is presented as a lost documentary from 1928 with the silent short detailing the disappearance of a steamship, the S.S. Willie. It was written and directed by Nick Lives and you can check it out for yourself below.
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There Have Been Several Mickey Mouse Projects Recently Announced
While The Vanishing of S.S. Willie is the first full project to be released, it’s not the only horror project to be announced since the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain. It was announced on Tuesday that Stephen LaMorte is directing a yet untitled horror comedy based on Steamboat Willie, with the film set to follow the iconic mouse hunting unsuspecting ferry passengers.
“Steamboat Willie has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte wrote in the release. “It’s a project I’ve been dreaming of, and I can’t wait to unleash this twisted take on this beloved character to the world.”
On Monday, the first trailer for another horror film was also released, Mickey’s Mouse Trap. Here’s how the film is described: “It’s Alex’s 21st birthday, but she’s stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive.”
“We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse murdering people,” director Jamie Bailey said. “It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”
Why Did Steamboat Willie Enter Public Domain?
The earliest versions of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse entered the public domain on January 1st thanks to current copyright law. Currently, that law states that characters and stories are protected for 95 years after publication with those characters becoming “free game” for interpretation on the 96th year after publication. That means that both Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy, two animated shorts produced and released by Walt Disney in 1928, are both now in Public Domain.
Disney Reacts To Steamboat Willie’s Copyright Expiration
“Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” the spokesperson began. “That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.”
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” They added. “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.”
What do you think about this latest Mickey Mouse inspired project now that Steamboat Willie is in the public domain? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
