<p id=”par-1_69″><em>Steamboat Willie</em> might not be as impressive as <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/disney/”>Disney</a>‘s feature films, but it paved the way for so much that came afterward. It also paved the way for a new pair of horror films about Mickey Mouse, including <em>Screamboat</em>, a film that features a <em>Steamboat Willie</em>-style Mickey as a cold-blooded killer. <em>Screamboat </em>is part of one of the oddest horror trends to come down the pipeline in some time.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-steamboat-willie-era-mickey-mouse-joins-winnie-the-pooh-in-a-horror-trend”>‘Steamboat Willie’ era Mickey Mouse joins Winnie-the Pooh in a horror trend</h2>
<p id=”par-2_94″>Mickey is one of the most famous characters to originate in film, so Disney had every reason to keep him under copyright for as long as possible. Now, the cartoon <em>Steamboat Willie </em>has fallen into the public domain, meaning that anyone can use Mickey’s original design for anything. Multiple filmmakers have decided that the beloved rodent needs a horror makeover, so we’re getting two slasher films based on <em>Steamboat Willie</em>: <em>The Mouse Trap</em> and <em>Screamboat</em>. The former is about a killer wearing a Mickey mask, while the latter is about a large killer mouse.</p>
<p id=”par-3_89″><em>The Mouse Trap</em> and <em>Screamboat </em>are not flukes. They are part of a glut of new horror movies based on children’s characters. The most famous is <em>Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey</em> (oh, bother!). Others include <em>The Mean One</em>, a twisted sequel to <em>How the Grinch Stole Christmas!</em>, <em>The Banana Splits Movie</em>, and upcoming <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/quentin-tarantino-horrified-1-disney-movie.html/”>remakes of <em>Bambi</em></a> and <em>Peter Pan</em>. This new wave of grotesque children’s characters seems to be rooted in Creepypasta. Creepypasta are online horror short stories that frequently draw from children’s television shows like <em>SpongeBob SquarePants</em> and <em>Pokémon</em>.</p>
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<iframe title=”SCREAMBOAT | Official Teaser Trailer (NEW 2025)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JgIVhjN5F4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-a-horror-star-is-bringing-mickey-mouse-to-life-in-screamboat”>A horror star is bringing Mickey Mouse to life in ‘Screamboat’</h2>
<p id=”par-4_92″>Whether you think horror films based on children’s characters sound hilarious, fun, or grating, you can’t deny that <em>Screamboat </em>is in capable hands. In the film,<em> Steamboat Willie</em> will be played by horror star David Howard Thornton. Thornton is most known for portraying Art the Clown in the <em>Terrifier </em>film franchise. Thornton plays Art primarily through body language and expression rather than dialog, making him a good fit for an evil mouse. He also adds a lot of childish, old-school vaudevillian humor to his performance as Art that might work in <em>Screamboat</em>.</p>
<p id=”par-5_46″>In a 2024 interview with <a href=”https://www.screamhorrormag.com/terrifier-star-david-howard-thornton-to-head-steamboat-willie-horror-adaption-screamboat/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Scream</a>, Thornton discussed “I’m beyond excited to join this incredible cast and bring <em>Steamboat Willie</em> to life with a horror twist,” he said. “<em>Screamboat </em>is going to be a horrific and hilarious big-screen thrill ride that fans won’t want to miss.”</p>
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<iframe title=”Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Steamboat Willie” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBgghnQF6E4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-what-walt-disney-said-about-steamboat-willie-in-retrospect”>What Walt Disney said about ‘Steamboat Willie’ in retrospect</h2>
<p id=”par-6_88″>Who knows <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/did-julie-andrews-actually-like-working-with-walt-disney.html/”>how Walt Disney would react</a> to one of his characters having a second career as a slasher killer? The <a href=”https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231117-steamboat-willie-how-walt-disney-came-back-from-ruin” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>BBC</a> reports that he had this to say when he won an Academy Award in 1954. “Over the last few years, we have ventured into a lot of different fields,” said Disney. “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it all started with a mouse.” The quote has become Disney’s most famous, and many fans of his studio know it by heart.</p>
<p id=”par-7_23″>When Disney said “it all started with a mouse,” he couldn’t have known that the “all” would eventually include some creepy slasher films.</p>