| Director: | Jamie Bailey |
| Screenplay: | Simon Phillips |
| Cinematography: | Jamie Bailey |
| Editing: | Jamie Bailey |
| Music: | Darren Morze |
| Distributor: | Gravitas Ventures |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
The Mouse Trap is a 2024 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Jamie Bailey and written by Simon Phillips. It is a horror reimagining of Walt Disney's 1928 animated short film Steamboat Willie. 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.
It stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Mireille Gagné, Mackenzie Mills, James Laurin, Kayleigh Styles, Jesse Masmith, Madeline Kelman, Damir Kovic, Nick Biskupek, with Phillips as the titular character. The plot 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. It was released on VOD platforms on August 6, 2024.
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.
On January 1, 2024, the first animated short film starring Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, entered into public domain.[1] [2] 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 , a Mickey-themed independent horror game.[3]
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.[4] 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".[5] Principal photography began in Ottawa, Canada.[6]
The Mouse Trap was originally scheduled to be release on March 2024.[7] It was later rescheduled to be released on in North America by Gravitas Ventures via video on demand on August 6, 2024, with Blu-ray release to follow on August 13.[8]