It’s Mickey, but not as you’ve ever seen him before.
A trailer for a slasher film, featuring a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse, was released on 1 January, the day that Disney’s copyright on the earliest versions of the cartoon character expired in the US.
“We wanted the polar opposite of what exists,” the movie’s producer said.
A new Mickey-inspired horror game, showing the rodent covered with blood stains, also dropped on the same day.
Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, entered the public domain in the US on New Year’s Day.
It means cartoonists, novelists and filmmakers can now rework and use the earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie.
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People will look back on this era and say, “just because they could have doesn’t mean they should have.”
This feels like a backlash to the insane length of copyright terms.
I suppose, but it feels more like a cheap cash grab to me.
If the game or the movie are anything more than mediocre, I’ll reconsider.
Oh, it’s undoubtedly that too. But if these characters had entered public domain decades ago like they should have, something similar would have been done and the novelty of beloved characters doing “shocking” things would have worn off.
Maybe backlash is the wrong word, but their own damn fault at least.
It’s definitely Disney’s fault. The original reason they convinced Sonny Bono to extend the copyright act was because it was the home video era and it meant anyone could start selling VHS tapes with Steamboat Willie on them. Now that era is over, so Disney cares a lot less.
Look at their acquisitions since the last time they lobbied for an extension…They own Star Wars, Marvel, and Hulu now. They don’t care (about extending the copyright) this time because Steamboat Willie ain’t shit to them (in terms of income) anymore. Mickey Mouse might as well just be the logo for Disneyland/world at this point
Edit: added stuff in parenthesis to clarify what I’m saying
But the landscape has also changed. If people were still buying physical media in large numbers or significantly buying digital media rather than relying on streaming services, Disney would have more money in the game to lose. But no one stands to make money from just trying to sell Steamboat Willie as-is.
Also, Disney is vicious about defending their trademarks. I think they care about Mickey a hell of a lot more than you think and they will be watching very closely for anything that steps out of line into trademark violation territory regarding Steamboat Willie.
To clarify, I meant that don’t care about fighting to extend the copyright. I see how my wording implies they don’t care about Steamboat Willie so I’ll edit my comment
they will be watching very closely for anything that steps out of line into trademark violation territory regarding Steamboat Willie.
Definitely agree with you here
The game has a Nazi name, Nazi community moderators, a theme about killing vermin, a large right wing following online…
When you say your bar isn’t a Nazi bar but Nazis just keep showing up and hanging around, guess what you have.
Lovely.
This is the exact template for Blood and Honey, really. Put all $10 of your budget into the Public Domain sweetie, pay everyone else with exposure.
Laugh at the shitty but honest reviews all the way to the bank.
I don’t mind a good example being made of this. The original creator(s) are long dead and gone. All the current copyright laws do are prevent innovation and protect money flow of large corporations in my opinion. Is was originally so individuals who came up with new great ideas could reap the rewards of that idea. No longer is that the case.
“The Copyright Act of 1790 was the first statute in the United States to identify definite provisions of copyright law and permitted authors the right to their intellectual property for a duration of 14 years. Today, depending on the type of work, copyright terms can reach up to 120 years. Historically, Disney has been exceedingly protective of their intellectual property and is a prominent supporter and lobbyist for copyright term extension (Bernaski, 2014). Disney’s involvement in copyright term extension originates from their goal to prevent their copyrights from entering the public domain, specifically their Mickey Mouse character.”
I say make a good example of them. The creator should benifit from their creations, but ideas should not be stifled for generations to accomplish that.
Disclaimer: I have not read my source, shame on me if it is counter to my opinion. But corporations are not people, I don’t care what the SC says.
Oh I don’t disagree. I think the standard for most of the 20th century- 19 years with an option to renew for another 19, made a lot more sense. I just don’t praise these companies seeing dollar signs because they can capitalize off of a popular work becoming public domain almost the minute it enters the public domain either.
I agree fundamentally, but I think, especially with AI faking stuff, we need to get back to people just writing things off as shitty ripoffs and ignoring them. Take away the novelty of it and it’ll go away. Disney made this particular bed. Now they gotta lay in it.
I for some reason have enough faith in humanity that once we how dumb this all plays out some realistic rules can be put in place.
I don’t think we are in disagreement here at all. We’re talking about two different things. You’re talking about Disney rightfully getting hurt by this and I’m talking about the people who are going to be using this potentially amazing opportunity in what is likely to be an extremely lazy way like that Winnie the Pooh slasher film.
Just because Disney could lobby to make copyright law insanely long doesn’t mean they should have. It wouldn’t have been s big event if Disney didn’t make it one.
I’m not talking about copyright law, and if you read a tiny bit further down, you would see that I talked multiple times about the problem with modern copyright law and Disney’s part in it.
Shitty copyright law doesn’t mean we have to have shitty movies and shitty video games.
This looks awful, like that Pooh movie. This “make a horror story out of expired copyrights” trend is gonna get old, fast.
I don’t care if it gets old, fuck copyrights and fuck Disney.
Absolutely fuck Disney, but Disney got fucked (from their perspective) by copyright law, not this movie. Maybe you could say the movie thumbs its nose at Disney, but the “damage” has already been done because Steamboat Willie is already public domain. Now should be the time for people to look for interesting things to do with the material. Instead, we’re getting whatever this is.
What? They got 95 years of publicly-funded protection. How is that getting fucked?
No. I absolutely will not gatekeep artwork that is used from the public domain. I don’t care. Even if I don’t like it doesn’t mean I will stoop to saying people should or shouldn’t be making it. This comment reeks of elitism.
Elitism? Because I don’t think people should be making shitty movies and shitty video games? If I’m elitist because I don’t want endless movies that would make Ed Wood cringe, guilty.
Believing people should stop making content just because it’s not your personal choice is cringe.
That’s absolutely not what I said.
Horror film fans want these kind of films.
Do they? Or do they want horror films made with time and thought?
They want both and the market is large enough to support it.
I don’t know if it still holds true, but something like 50% of the entire North American independent film market that gets produced each year is horror and christmas films made for about $1.5 million dollars. Each one will sell for about $4-6 million.
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I heard the Pooh movie was good. Then I watched it. I probably won’t bother with this Mickey movie.
bother
heh
I mean, most movies are shit so what did you expect?
So is this just going to happen with every single character that goes into public domain? Someone just has to make a garbage horror movie about them?
Yeah.
Just like how people are more likely to want to stay standing up after having to sit for 8 hours for work/school.
There’s a social rubberbanding effect, just gotta get it out of our collective system so the tension is released, and then better content will come after that release.
If it’s the character thats the face of the organization that is the reason copyright law has been strengthened and enforced with iron rulings, then yes it damn well should happen. Disney is simply reaping what they sewed and they earend every last bit of it and more.
Did you expect anything less?
Fuck Disney, Fuck Copyright laws and all of that, but there has got to be something more interesting to do with Mickey than a schlocky horror movie with a budget of two paper clips and a pack of gum
Yes. But those things take time and don’t farm clicks.
Yeah they did this with Winnie the Pooh and afaik it wasn’t great. I get the idea, but lacks creativity if “it’s just opposite” is your draw card.
It was apparently profitable enough they are making a sequel
I watched it. I was actually kind of excited. I enjoy cheesy horror movies. Including ones that know what they are. Movies like Skinamarink are amazing works of art, and i love it, but Llamageddon was a movie to watch with friends, have a few beers and a frozen pizza.
But I feel like when people make these movies, it’s a really fine line to walk, where it can easily just become bad. The Winnie the Pooh one unfortunate just missed the mark. It was just bad. Not the worst, but I don’t see myself watching it again.
Other people will do it. You think only 1 group is going to take advantage of this?
I’m glad you’re going to watch it. Let us know how it is!
If they really want to make a good movie with some decisive social commentary it should be about mickey enslaved by a “nameless” corporation (because of course everything else is copyrighted and trademarked still) and escaping. Would make an interesting thriller, there’s a lot that could be done to criticize copyright and the companies that abuse the system and their labor force.
Someone make this please, the idea is free (and so is the character)
Reminds me of Banksy’s intro to The Simpsons.
It’s so edgy. At first you’re like “Hey that’s Mickey Mouse! I know him!” And then he’s doing horrible things and you’re like “wait a minute - Mickey Mouse wouldn’t kill people!”
That’s what makes it artistic.
Really subverted my expectations
Note that Mickey Mouse himself is most definitely trademarked and protected via IP laws. The mouse himself may still also be copyrighted (I haven’t bothered to look)
Creating derivative works is still most certainly illegal.
tl;dr you can freely share Steamboat Willie, but you should not try to create your own Mickey Mouse shows since Disney has no issue bankrupting you in a copyright/trademark lawsuit.
That being said, bring on the nightmare mouse!
What’s the difference between mickey mouse and “the mouse himself” the way you used it?
It means the character of Mickey Mouse is protected by trademark. Pretty sure these film makers get sued.
They can use the character, as long as they don’t advertise in a way that infringes on Disney’s trademark (can’t use the mouse silhouette etc.) and they can only use the character as he appeared in the 1928 short, he can’t have gloves or red shorts like the Mickey we know now does.
It’s a tightrope, but it’s possible to use the character legally. I’m sure Disney’s lawyers are looking over this stuff with a magnifying glass though.
Waiting for a
Mickey V Winniemoviei was expecting some rival studio to have an AI ready to just blast out new mickey episodes hourly.
2020 - S05E03 - Mickey Mouse Horror Show
A trailer for a slasher film, featuring a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse, was released on 1 January, the day that Disney’s copyright on the earliest versions of the cartoon character expired in the US. A new Mickey-inspired horror game, showing the rodent covered with blood stains, also dropped on the same day. Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, entered the public domain in the US on New Year’s Day. It means cartoonists, novelists and filmmakers can now rework and use the earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie. It’s Mickey, but not as you’ve ever seen him before. TV-MA, 47 mins
SD, SHD, UHD, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Surround
S05E03 of what?
2020
That show only had one season though
Hahaha this is what I was waiting for after the copyright ended
Bingo!
