WATCH: Mickey Mouse slasher film trailer features Disney's iconic character in a way like never seen before
Mickey Mouse is a lovable figure who never seems to put smiles on little kids and adults' faces. However, things are otherwise as Disney's well-loved character transforms into a killer in the latest trailer of Mickey's Mouse Trap.
In the almost 2-minute video, a person in a Mickey Mouse costume, wearing what resembles a hockey jersey without the letters, attacks and stalks a group of friends inside an amusement arcade. The video also gave viewers a scare with in-text lines that read, "A place for fun, a place for friends, a place for hunting. The mouse is out."
The trailer came after Disney's 1928 short Steamboat Willie entered the public domain for the first time due to its copyright expiration. This means that early versions of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse no longer solely belong to the Walt Disney Company, leaving the character's designs available to be reworked and used starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Alongside its trailer, the movie clarified that the slasher film is "not a Disney film or production." It said it is "not affiliated with or endorsed by Disney in any way."
"This film makes use of Public domain Steam Boat Willie Mickey Mouse only. Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse entered public domain on Jan. 1 2024. No copyright infringement of later versions of Mickey Mouse or trademark infringements."
Meanwhile, Jamiel Bailey, the movie's director, explained that he wanted to have fun with the character of Mickey Mouse as a killer.
"We just wanted to have fun with it all. 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," he said in a statement reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The film does not yet have a release date, but producers are aiming for March, as per the media outlet. It will star Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips.
According to its synopsis, the film will center on "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."
Watch the trailer below.
