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, the first appearance of Mickey Mouse. 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.
| The Mouse Trap | |
|---|---|
 Poster with original title | |
| Directed by | Jamie Bailey |
| Written by | Simon Phillips |
| Produced by | Mem Ferda |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Jamie Bailey |
| Edited by | Jamie Bailey |
| Music by | Darren Morze |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
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.
Plot
editAt a police station, detectives Cole and Marsh attempt to interview Rebecca, a survivor of a recent massacre, so that they can learn who was behind the killing spree and why. Rebecca is reluctant, claiming that she and the detectives will die if she tells them, but eventually gives in and begins to explain what happened.
Some time prior, at an amusement arcade, employees Alex and Jayna are told by their boss Tim Collins that they will have to stay on a late shift due to a last-minute booking. Later, whilst watching Steamboat Willie on a film projector, Tim begins to hear menacing laughter, and a Mickey Mouse mask in a nearby cabinet then begins speaking to him. In a trance, Tim opens the cabinet and puts the mask on.
After Jayna leaves the building, Alex sees Tim wearing the Mickey mask as he chains up one of the exits. Confused and scared, Alex flees, only to stumble upon her boyfriend Marcus and her other friends Ryan, Paul, Jackie, Gemma, Danny, Marie, and Rebecca. It is revealed that the "last-minute booking" was actually arranged by them as a surprise early birthday party for Alex.
As the party gets into full swing, Ryan gathers everyone's phones in a bag and leaves them on the counter. Meanwhile, Paul and Jackie head into the jungle gym to have sex, where Tim/Mickey appears armed with a knife and attacks them. The rest of the group discover that the exits have been chained shut, and their phones have been stolen. After they split up and go looking for Paul and Jackie, Rebecca encounters Mickey, whom is apparently now able to teleport but is easily scared off by flashing lights. Marie also encounters Mickey, who wounds her, but she manages to escape before he can kill her. She informs Alex and Marcus of her encounter, believing Ryan was the one who attacked her since he is nowhere to be found. Alex then discovers that the lights and phone lines are down before she, Marcus and Marie find Paul and Jackie dead.
On Marcus's suggestion, Alex activates the building's fire alarm in order to alert emergency services. Mickey then slits Gemma's throat, teleports into the laser tag arena, slits Rebecca's ankle and kills Danny. Alex sees Jayna returning to the building, but is unable to warn her about Mickey before he teleports behind her and kills her. She returns to find Marcus and Marie, who have found the still-alive Ryan and are interrogating him, making Alex realise that Ryan is innocent before Mickey appears and attacks Ryan. Alex uses a flashlight to distract Mickey as Marcus knocks him down with a baseball bat, but Mickey teleoprts away before they can finish him off. The survivors realise that they can use Mickey's phobia of light against him, and so lure him into the jungle gym and activate the strobe lights, disorienting Mickey as they beat him down. However, Mickey somehow manages to turn off the strobe lights with telekinesis and teleports away before reappearing behind Alex, decapitating her and disappearing.
Back in the present, the detectives refuse to believe Rebecca's story and leave her locked inside a holding cell before leaving her. In a post-credits scene, Mickey enters the police station, opens the door to Rebecca's cell, and tells her that there are "many people" he wants her to meet, and they are "just getting started". Rebecca stares at Mickey, smiles, and leaves her cell.
Cast
edit- Simon Phillips as Mickey Mouse / Tim Collins
- Sophie McIntosh as Alex Fen
- Madeline Kelman as Jayna
- Ben Harris as Ryan
- Callum Sywyk as Marcus
- Mireille Gagné as Gemma
- James Laurin as Paul
- Kayleigh Styles as Jackie
- Mackenzie Mills as Rebecca
- Jesse Masmith as Danny
- Allegra Nocita as Marie
- Damir Kovic as Detective Cole
- Nick Biskupek as Detective Marsh
Production
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On January 1, 2024, the first animated short film starring Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, entered into public domain.[1][2] The day the copyright lapsed, the film—then titled Mickey's Mouse Trap—was revealed to the public 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.[3]
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, director Jamie 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 took place in Funhaven, an amusement centre in Ottawa, Canada, over the course of 8 days in Summer 2023.[6]
Release
editThe Mouse Trap was originally scheduled to release in March 2024[7] before being postponed for unknown reasons. It was later rescheduled to be released in North America by Gravitas Ventures via video on demand on August 6, 2024, with a Blu-ray release following on August 13.[8]
See also
edit- Works based on a copyright-free Mickey Mouse
- Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, a similar horror film whose original character entered into the public domain
References
edit- ^ "Mickey Mouse horror film unveiled as copyright ends". January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Tapp, Tom (January 2, 2024). "Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Trailer Drops: Film Uses 'Steamboat Willie' Version Of Character That's Now In Public Domain". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (January 2, 2024). "'Mickey's Mouse Trap' Trailer – Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Slashes Through the Magic Kingdom This Year". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (January 2, 2024). "Trailer for Mickey Mouse Slasher Film Drops on Same Day 'Steamboat Willie' Character Enters Public Domain". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ "Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Makers Are as Cynical as You'd Expect". Gizmodo. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian director of Mickey Mouse horror film: 'We kind of shook the world'". Terrace Standard. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Mickey Mouse horror movie trailer drops after character enters public domain". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (July 29, 2024). "The Mouse Trap Trailer: Mickey Mouse Is a Serial Killer in an Inevitable Public Domain Horror Film". IndieWire. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
