Watch “Steamboat Willie”'s horror reimagining torture his victim in movie's first 4 minutes (exclusive)
Meet Willie, the definitely not family-friendly mouse man.
Hewes Pictures
Willie of 'I Heart Willie,' the horror reimagining of 'Steamboat Willie'This is not your grandma's Steamboat Willie. Not only is the original Mickey Mouse from the beloved 1928 black-and-white Disney cartoon a serial killer now, he's also not a mouse. And he has abs.
Entertainment Weekly can exclusive reveal the first four minutes of I Heart Willie, one of multiple horror reimaginings of Steamboat Willie in the works since the character entered the public domain at the start of 2024. The footage shows its central figure in action.
David Vaughn, who appeared in American Rust, Dopesick, and the movie musical of The Color Purple, stars as Willie, who was abused and isolated as a boy. Legend says he was born with deformities that make him look like a human-mouse hybrid. Now, he crafts bodysuits from the skins of unlucky trespassers.
EW's sneak peek of I Heart Willie shows Willie picking apart one of his victims, including ripping the man's tongue from his mouth with pliers, as a new target wanders into his territory.
And that's just the beginning! The main storyline of I Heart Willie involves YouTubers Daniel and Nico investigating a supposedly haunted property, placing them in Willie's path.
Vaughn also wrote the film and produced it with longtime collaborator Princeton Holt (2050). Alejandro G. Alegre directs a cast that includes Maya Luna, Micho Camacho, Sergio Rogalto, and Daniela Porras.
Last year already saw the release of a horror short film based on Steamboat Willie called The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, plus the horror-comedy movie called The Mouse Trap. Aside from I Heart Willie, 2025 will also see the competing Steamboat Willie horror reimagining Screamboat. It's all a part of the recent trend of storybook-to-horror revamps made popular by the makers of the "Poohniverse," a series of indie horror movies that includes monstrous interpretations of Winnie-the-Pooh, Bambi, Peter Pan, and more.
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I Heart Willie will be available to watch in theaters for one night only in the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 26, courtesy of Rubey Entertainment, LLC. Get a taste of what's to come in the video above.
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