To end off the celebration of a whole century for The Walt Disney Company, Mickey Mouse’s first two shorts, Plane Crazy (1928) and Steamboat Willie (1928) have fallen into the Public Domain on January 1, 2024; this follows Winnie the Pooh which became public domain on January 1, 2022. It’s important to note that there are limitations to how you can use Mickey, Minnie, and Pete. But first, a brief explanation of how copyright works.
According to US copyright law, a character is under copyright protection for the entire life of the creator with an additional 70 years. Once a character is public domain, in this case, Steamboat Willie/Plane Crazy, the original copyright holders (Disney) no longer hold the exclusive copyright over that version of the character.
Since Disney can no longer go after anyone using the original Mickey Mouse, even for financial gain, many people have gotten ideas on how to use the loveable mascot, some better than others. However, before you go and start writing that Mickey slasher movie script, you need to recognize the limitations of how much you can do.
For one, you can use the characters and designs featured in Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy ONLY. That means no sorcerer outfit, no red shorts, no gloves, no Donald Duck, etc. More recent designs of Mickey and Friends are still absolutely under copyright protection. Another thing is that you must disclaim to consumers that your work is not affiliated with Disney in any way. Finally, the name “Mickey Mouse” remains registered under copyright law. This means you either have to change Mickey’s name or find a loophole to that both Mickey and Mouse can be together in a copyright-friendly way, this will be demonstrated shortly.
Some upcoming projects to look forward to include Mickey’s Mouse Trap, a VERY low budget slasher movie where a group of teens run into a Mickey-masked serial killer while locked in an indoor amusement center. As was stated before, since “Mickey Mouse” cannot be used, the creators of the movie made it so that that Mickey’s full name is still used, but different enough to make it so it is still following the limitations of the public domain. This horror flick also mirrors Winnie the Pooh’s slasher movie, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey which released last year. A second, unnamed, horror movie is also coming in the near future, being directed by Steven LaMorte who previously directed “The Mean One,” a horror parody of the non-public domain story, Dr. Seuss’s “The Grinch.”
Moving away from movie territory, Steamboat Willie games are also in the works, such as Infestation: Origins, an episodic survival horror game where players control an infestation of mutant rodents. This game features a twisted and strangely humanoid Mickey donning boxer gloves. Another game that you can look forward to is A Steamboat Willie, created by Water Melon Games, where you set sail as “Mikey Mouse” to sell cargo while also looking out for customs officers looking to confiscate your illegal cargo. Both games can be found on store.steampowered.com.
In conclusion, after nearly 100 years of being under copyright protection, you can expect to see the original Mickey Mouse far more often. Whether he’s dark and twisted or the wholesome, happy-go-lucky mouse we all know and love.
