Over the past couple of years, Disney characters have entered the public domain.
Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie, Winnie the Pooh, and others are now available to be used by anyone for any purpose without needing permission from the Walt Disney Company. As of January 1st, the likeness of Steamboat Willie entered the public domain, but soon, more versions of the beloved Mickey Mouse will become available to everyone.
Steamboat Willie was the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon. While not every version became available for public use in 2024, the version of Mickey as Steamboat Willie did. That means Mickey, without his signature, white gloves can be used by anyone. Soon, though, more versions of Mickey will be part of the public domain as we enter 2025.
The Karnival Kid featuring Mickey Mouse was released on May 23rd, 1929, and its 95-year copyright will expire in 2025. The Karnival Kid was the movie in which Mickey spoke for the first time, saying, “Hot dogs! Hot dogs!”
The Karnival Kid isn’t the only other Mickey Mouse film getting released into the public domain in 2025. Other Mickey films that debuted in 1929 will also be available; these also include versions of Mickey with his signature white gloves, which were not previously included.
Other films and shorts featuring Mickey Mouse in 1929 were The Plow Boy, The Barn Dance, When the Cat’s Away, and Plane Crazy. Any features of Mickey in these films will become available for use in new non-Disney media.
We’ve most recently seen Mickey and several other Disney movies being used in horror films. These movies started with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey in 2023, then Mickey’s Mouse Trap followed this past year in 2024. More films are in the works as part of what Jagged Edge Productions is calling the “Poohniverse,” including Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare.
Disney has previously stated, “We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.” The 1929 Mickey Mouse films are just the latest Disney movies and characters entering the public domain; more are set to come in the following years.
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