If you were wondering how far the creators of Screamboat would take their “Steamboat Willie” horror satire, the answer is: Pretty far.

A new trailer for Screamboat finds a maniacal mouse played by David Howard Thornton — Art the Clown in the Terrifier films — stalking “five feareless friends.” The trailer takes care to share their names in a whimsical font reminiscent of Disney’s, and Cindi, Bella, Jazzy, Arianna and Rory just might remind you of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast‘s Belle, Aladdin‘s Jasmine, the Little Mermaid‘s Ariel and the titular character of Rapunzel.

The film seems carefully designed to set off as many alarms as possible, without drawing the wrath of Disney’s crack legal team. It even features an announcer whose voice sounds suspiciously like that of the announcer for Disney’s ’90s releases.

“A scream is a wish your heart makes!,” goes the tagline, parodying “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” a song from 1950’s Cinderella.

Its official description reads, “Be our guest on a New York City ferry ride that turns into a hilarious nightmare when a mischievous mouse named Steamboat Willie becomes a monstrous reality. As passengers set sail, their trip turns deadly when the tiny terror unleashes murder and mayhem. Packed with big kills, big laughs, and a miniature menace, Screamboat is a cinematic thrill ride that reimagines ‘Steamboat Willie’ like never before!”

Background on Screamboat

Screamboat exists because “Steamboat Willie,” which introduced the world to Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain this year, alongside other works first released in 1928. Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, it was is one of the first cartoons to use synchronized sound, and was a major hit in its time that has endured in the near century since: You can still watch it on Disney+.

Though “Steamboat Willie” marked the public debut of Mickey Mouse — and Minnie Mouse — both had appeared a few months before in a test screening if the cartoon “Plane Crazy.”

Screamboat follows in the proud public domain tradition of 2023’s Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a slasher film inspired by the gentle children’s stories of A.A. Milne. The original Pooh stories entered the public domain in 2022.

Screamboat is written and directed by Steven LaMorte, who previously made the Grinch Who Stole Christmas-inspired horror film The Mean One, released in 2022.

The new film stars, in addition to Thornton, Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Tyler Posey, Jesse Kove, Jarlath Conroy, Brian “Q” Quinn, Kailey Hyman and Michael Leavy.

Executive producers include Kali Pictures, Sleight of Hand Productions, Reckless Content and Julien Didon. Iconic Events Releasing is the distributor of the film, which will enjoy an April 2 theatrical release, followed by its release for digital and home video.

Main image: Screamboat. Sleigh of Hand.

Editor’s Note: Corrects typos.