Serial killer Mickey Mouse film trailer drops same day US copyright of cartoon character expires
nypost.comto US copyright law, works published between 1923 and 1978 are protected for 95 years following the date of publication. Disney has tried to prevent this from happening, over the years — in 1998, it lobbied for the Copyright Extension Act, which added 20 years, adding up to 95 years.
That act would eventually be dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.” “Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie,’ people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.
We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”“Mickey’s Mouse Trap” director Jamie Bailey told the Hollywood Reporter, “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.”In the original cartoon short, Mickey Mouse gets into mischievous antics, such as fighting with a goat and playing animals like musical instruments, but it was a kid-friendly cartoon with no slasher movie action.
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