As Mickey Mouse enters the public domain, all reinterpretations of the character are fair game. That includes a whole host of horrific and nightmarish visions as well.
While the Walt Disney Company is still very protective of its mousey mascot, the rights to his Steamboat Willie persona will soon enter the public domain. However, just because only the earliest version of Mickey Mouse will be available for other artists to play with, that doesn’t mean he will be immune from some less-than-magical re-imaginings.
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This exact phenomenon was observed when Pooh Bear went into the public domain earlier this year, as the original character created by A.A. Milne was warped into a bloodthirsty killer in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023). Given how quickly the willy-nilly-silly-old-bear was utterly transformed, it’s really only a matter of time before Mickey Mouse meets the same fate.
Mickey Mouse: Of Mice and Murder
Mickey is set to enter the public domain on January 1, 2024. Unless Disney enacts some legal magic with their team of lawyers, it won’t be long before we see something terrifying featuring the famous character. As demonstrated in the video above, his likeness is already being warped for a stylish (yet violent) first-person shooter after his copyrights expire.
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While the rodent in the video above isn’t technically Disney’s original, there’s no denying that the connections to Steamboat Willie aren’t noticeable. Of course, this is only one example of a good mouse gone bad, but it’s only the first step towards something much darker.
Although Disney is taking legal action to protect its image, it more than likely won’t stop creators from inventing variants of Mickey that don’t have at least a basic connection to the mischievous mouse.
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There is, however, a beacon of hope for die-hard Disney fans who do not want the name of Mickey Mouse besmirched. The Mickey that enters the public domain in 2024 has been described as “spindly and ratlike,” far from the mouse we know and love today. Despite his resemblance, any alternative version of Mickey will still fail to hold a candle to the original icon.
As Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University told The Guardian,
“Disney has a lot of things to worry about right now, and the expiration of Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse probably shouldn’t be on the top of their list. The original Mickey isn’t the one we all think of and have on our T-shirts or pillowcases up in the attic someplace.”
Yes, we will undoubtedly see a horror movie version of Mickey at some point in the very near future, more than likely smiling wildly as he hacks up amorous teens in an abandoned animation studio or something of that nature. However, we can still find comfort in the protected modern Mickey on our screens today.
Are you worried about Mickey entering the public domain? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!