Mickey's Mouse Trap

Mickey's Mouse Trap is an upcoming Canadian-American independent comedy slasher film directed by Jamie Bailey from a screenplay written by Simon Phillips. It is a horror reimagining of Walt Disney's 1928 animated short film Steamboat Willie and stars Sophie McIntosh, Nick Biskupek, James Laurin, Mireille Gagné, Damir Kovic, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Jesse Nasmith, Mackenzie Mills, Madeline Kelman, and Ben Harris, with Phillips as the titular character. It follows a group of friends trapped inside in an amusement arcade after it closes as they are terrorized by a masked killer in a Mickey Mouse costume.

While The Walt Disney Company retains exclusive rights to the depictions of the character from their own franchise, Mickey's Steamboat Willie version went into the public domain on January 1, 2024, the same day the film was announced.

Mickey's Mouse Trap is scheduled to be theatrically released worldwide on an unspecified date in 2024.

Premise
When a group of friends sneak into an amusement arcade after closing, they end up being trapped with a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse, who decides to play a game of his own which they must survive.

Cast

 * Simon Phillips as Mickey Mouse
 * Nick Biskupek as Detective Marsh
 * Sophie McIntosh as Alex
 * James Laurin as Paul
 * Mireille Gagné as Gemma
 * Damir Kovic as Detective Cole
 * Callum Sywyk as Marcus
 * Allegra Nocita as Marie
 * Jesse Masmith as Danny
 * Mackenzie Mills as Rebecca
 * Madeline Kelman as Jayna
 * Ben Harris as Ryan

Development
On January 1, 2024, the first animated short film starring Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, entered into public domain. After the copyright lapsed, director Jamie Bailey began development on Mickey's Mouse Trap as the film's first trailer was released online along with several other works based on the short, such as Infestation: Origins, a Mickey-themed independent horror game.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Bailey stated: "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."

Bailey also expressed surprise that there were not more similar projects and that they were among the first to create such a film, as the crew "thought we’d be lost in the shuffle, to be completely honest". The film will avoid referring to the titular villain as "Mickey Mouse" while ensuring that "it's very clear who it’s supposed to be".

Filming
Principal photography began in Ottawa, Canada. Bailey began filming in June 2023 and wrapped production in September 2023 as he noted that the prior copyright status would only impact the film's release and not its production. Inspirations for the film include Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023), a similar horror film whose original character also entered into the public domain, as well as the crew's love for Disney media.

Release
Mickey's Mouse Trap was originally planned to release in March of 2024, but due to unknown production reasons, it is currently scheduled to be theatrically released worldwide on an unspecified date in 2024.