Screamboat

''Screamboat'' is a 2025 American comedy horror film directed by Steven LaMorte. It is a reimagining of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks's 1928 animated short film, ''Steamboat Willie''. The plot follows a group of New Yorkers who are terrorized by a monstrous mouse named Steamboat Willie. It stars David Howard Thornton, Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Kailey Hyman, Jesse Kove, and Jarlath Conroy.

Though the Walt Disney Company retains exclusive rights to its own Mickey Mouse universe, the ''Steamboat Willie'' version of the iconic character entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. One day later, ''Screamboat'' was announced.

''Screamboat'' was released theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom on April 2, 2025, and later released on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming in the United States on May 2, 2025. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Premise

LaMorte said the film is "the story of a late-night ferry ride in New York City where commuters and deckhands and all the usual passengers are attacked by a murderous and mischievous mouse who is mean, tiny, and loves getting up to no good". Steamboat Willie's backstory is that he "was pure and kind before mankind's neglect left him corrupted and homicidal."

Cast

Tyler Posey, Brian Quinn, and Joe DeRosa make cameos.

Production

Background

In an interview at ''Gizmodo'' ''io9'', director Steven LaMorte said of himself and co-writer Matthew Garcia-Dunn that a widespread preconceived notion was that they don't like the Disney brand, but he calls himself "a deep-cuts Disney fanboy." LaMorte explained that he'd always wanted to be an Imagineer, and he admired Walt Disney as an inventor.

Writing

LaMorte said in a March 18, 2025 Instagram post that he and Garcia-Dunn planned the movie as their "twisted take on the iconic princesses."

The princesses featured are Cindi (Cinderella), Ariana (Ariel), Jazzy (Jasmine), Bella ( Belle), Ilsa ( Elsa), and Rory (Aurora). Amber, an EMT, is named for Princess Amber of ''Sofia the First''. It was Garcia-Dunn's idea to incorporate the princesses, because LaMorte had seen such party groups on the Staten Island Ferry on weekend nights in his 20s. Other characters named for Disney characters are Pete, after the original short's antagonist Pegleg Pete, and Aubrey, for Audrey Rose, the daughter of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip in ''Sleeping Beauty''.

They included in the dialogue such Disney catchphrases as " It's a small world after all," "Be our guest," "Let it go," and " Dead men tell no tales." LaMorte said that some allusions were subtle, such as a ''Mary Poppins'' reference. He even framed an appearance of the number 33 for the Disney Parks' Club 33. Distribution company Iconic Events had earlier released the horror movies ''Cinderella's Revenge'' (2024) and ''Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare'' (2025).

Pre-production

After ''Steamboat Willie''s copyright lapsed, LaMorte began working on a then-untitled horror film based on the short. The film was later announced with the first teaser. The official title, ''Screamboat'', was officially revealed in April 2024. The puppet and costume for Thornton's mouse creature character was designed by Quantum Creation FX.

Casting

On June 10, 2024, some of the cast names were revealed, including Thornton as the main antagonist. In November 2024, Kailey Hyman was announced in a key role, and cameos are played by Tyler Posey and comedians Brian Quinn and Joe DeRosa.

Set and props

The ferry used in the film is owned by Colin Jost and Pete Davidson. ''TMZ'' reported that the ''Saturday Night Live'' stars provided their bright orange, decommissioned Staten Island ferry, on which "so much fake blood was used during filming they had to hire a special cleaning crew."

For a brief scene at the Staten Island Ferry's Liberty Café, LaMorte directed that the props department use "the genuine cheap beer being served" there.

Among the devices that Willie uses for his murders are a forklift, a blowtorch, fake ears, and a harpoon.

Filming locations

Nearly all of the movie takes place aboard the ferry, though some filming shows the New York Harbor for background. The 4Filming site reports that the filmmakers chose to shoot many scenes on location in New York City to give ''Screamboat'' a realistic feel for the fantasy and horror elements of the film. Many aerial shots feature Manhattan's skyscrapers. Establishing shots were filmed at the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal.

Filming

The team began filming in May of 2024 and wrapped over that summer.

Steven LaMorte told ''The New York Post'', "I'm from Staten Island, and I've always wanted to make a horror movie on the Staten Island ferry — you know, a slasher or murder mystery." He said, "I did a little research and ound outthe Staten Island ferry was once powered by steam" (which is used for murder in a scene). The ''Post'' explains,

After an interview with producer Michael Leavy, a lifelong Staten Island resident, ''SILive'' reported that "Islanders should watch out for Easter eggs specific to the ferry, and hometown names that only locals will pick up on. (Hint: the snack counter)." One of these was the Staten Island Ferry's Liberty Café. Leavy told ''SILive'',

Cinematograper Steven Della Salle also told ''SILive'', "It's not a set. There's no faking it. This is the boat that everybody took to work, so when they see it, they're gonna know, like, 'I remember that,' and that's what's awesome for us."

''SILive'' said that the characters were based on all types of common New York commuters: loud party girls, street performers, bench sleepers and Midwest transplants.

Costumes

''Variety'' notes that the costumes are color-coded: Cindi is dressed in blue, Bella in yellow, Jazzy in turquoise, and so on. The film includes a character known as The Shirtless Cowboy, a variation on the Naked Cowboy of Times Square and a Peter Pan-dressed character. There is also a man dressed as the Statue of Liberty and police officers in uniforms.

Release

''Screamboat'' was theatrically released by Iconic Events Releasing on April 2, 2025. The April 1 advance premiere was held at the Regal Union Square in Manhattan, New York. The film will be released on home video by DeskPop Entertainment. The release was originally scheduled for January 24, 2025. In February 2025, Signature Entertainment acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Reception

After the April 1, 2025, Manhattan premiere, ''SILive'' reported that "with David Howard Thornton prancing around the boat as the title role of Willie, this horror-comedy had the theater roaring with laughter."

Peter Debruge of ''Variety'' finds the movie fun, "as there's an illicit thrill in desecrating powerful brands, like Disney." Debruge described its manner as " anneling the ' splatstick' vibe of directors like Peter Jackson and Eli Roth with decidedly far-from-G-rated gags." He concludes, "The murders may be grisly, but they're played almost entirely for laughs, as are the tossed-off references to any number of Disney movies. ..In what must have been a favor to someone, Tyler Posey pops up, manning the radio in a few no-value-added scenes, including a mid-credits tease for a possible sequel. Unnecessary as that may be, it still sounds less disrespectful to the original IP than so many of the Disney-sanctioned live-action reboots."

Brian Tallerico of ''RogerEbert.com'' gave the film two out of four stars and wrote, "It's hard to imagine anyone stumbling into ''Screamboat'' without being aware of its intentions. It's not something people buy a ticket to when their arthouse movie of choice isn't available. On that level, it almost works enough to recommend even to those not clamoring to see it." The Bloody Disgusting site, in a 2 out of 5 points review, says that the cartoonish violence "is enough to make a Disney purist rage and a Disney objector snicker." "''Screamboat'' eagerly aims to please and gives its target audience exactly what they wanted. The kills don't always live up to the most imaginative of the collection, however, LaMorte gets points for enthusiasm and design. ..It would be a mistake to overthink ''Screamboat'' or overlook its appeal as subversive slapstick, however, like so many comedy bits out there, this movie loses its novelty sooner than later."

In a list of the 10 most shocking and gory scenes of the movie, ''Screen Rant'' finds it "similar to the TCU and the ''Terrifier'' movies in the shocking level of gore." The reviewer comments that the special effects "team used practical effects, blood, and prosthetics that are as impressive as they are disturbing to look at. Ultimately, this decision paid off, giving ''Screamboat'' a campy, b-film slasher feeling." They add, "It's also nice to watch a slasher film where not every death happens in the same, predictable way."

References

External links

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{{portal bar, 2020s, Film, United States, Speculative fiction, Horror

2025 films
American comedy horror films
American independent films
2025 comedy horror films
2025 horror films
2025 independent films
2020s English-language films
Horror films based on children's franchises
Non-Disney Mickey Mouse-media
Disney parodies
Parodies of horror
2020s American films
Films set in New York City
Films set on boats
English-language horror films
English-language independent films
Films about mice and rats