Summary

• Steamboat Willie entering the public domain has sparked a demand for a horror movie based on the character, with people sharing their own ideas for scripts and film titles.
• Some view the original Steamboat Willie as a disturbing animal body horror, with Mickey and Minnie torturing animals for their own amusement and Mickey even killing an innocent bird with a potato.
• While some are excited about the concept of a Steamboat Willie horror film, others urge for originality and caution against creating clichéd and overly edgy content.

The copyright for a specific version of Mickey Mouse has expired, which is leaving the internet urging for a Steamboat Willie-based horror movie. Mickey Mouse first became copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company in 1928 through the movie Steamboat Willie.

At the dawn of the new year, the Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse has entered the public domain, and the internet is pushing for a horror movie based on the character. Already, game developer Nightmare Forge has announced a survival horror co-op game based on Steamboat Willie called Infestation 88 in which players will need to escape from a nightmarish take on the classic cartoon character. With a game already in development, a movie starring a horrifying Steamboat Willie doesn't feel far behind, and upon viewing the classic animated short, a number of viewers noted online the “animal body horror” nature of the product. As a result, Disney fans are pushing for a horror film based on Steamboat Willie. Check out some of the reactions below:

@Cyratu3 presented their horror film script as a joke, in which the writes, “i was watching steamboat willie until i realized it was the eviil boaat and it killed me.”

@ItsDanThomas noted the “animal body horror” tie-in, pointing out the animal torture and murder that exists already in Steamboat Willie.

@SuperBentendo suggested a title for this could-be horror film, taking an easy pun route with “SCREAMboat Willie.”

Others urged for caution when proceeding with potential Steamboat Willie adaptations, with @RobertMcWebbhed saying, “can we Please...PLEASE not do any stupid horror or overly edgy related form of media? I get that it would be funny, but be original.”

@JohnMartinPugh offered up another wordplay-based horror title of a goofy “Screamboat Killie.”

@MossAnimation pointed out that Mickey was a murderous “little scoundrel” in his Steamboat Willie era, claiming that a horror film adaptation could work.

@BobsterLord offered the name “Steamboat Killy,” and posted an image captioned “a friend on discord made [an] image in honor of Steamboat Willie becoming public domain, and the metric shit ton of mascot horror slop that is going to be churned out for money.”

@System9509 got specific in their suggestion, noting that the pots and pans that Mickey clangs on should be “bodies of dead people he’s killed” in a horror adaptation.

A Sinister Steamboat Willie Adaptation Would Follow A Horror Trend

As @BobsterLord alludes to, a Steamboat Willie adaptation would play into the growing trend of mascot horror in film. Mascot horror refers to the transformation of childhood mascots — such as Winnie-the-Pooh or Steamboat Willie — into ruthless killers. A long-held trope within the video game universe through hit products like Five Nights at Freddy’s, mascot horror has become increasingly popular in film, as evidenced by Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel.

Steamboat Willie's premise could lend itself to a tonally-interesting horror piece, which creators will now have the opportunity to take on as early Mickey Mouse enters the public domain.

Although some mascot horror, like Blood and Honey, is more of a stretch, s are right that Steamboat Willie could lend itself well to a horror adaptation. Though played for laughs, Steamboat Willie has a twisted, surreal nature to it in its images and scenes of animal death. This premise could lend itself to a tonally interesting horror piece, which creators will now have the opportunity to take on as the early Mickey Mouse enters the public domain.

Source: Twitter (Various, See Above)