Nearly a century after their creation, early Walt Disney animations featuring Mickey Mouse's debut have transitioned into the public domain.
The 1928 films 'Steamboat Willie' and the silent version of 'Plane Crazy,' both of which marked the first appearances of the iconic character, are among a wealth of significant works that have now entered the public domain after reaching the 95-year copyright limit.
As reported by The Verge, the public domain version of Mickey Mouse is limited to the original, gloveless, black and white rendition of the character. All subsequent versions of the character, including the 1940 Fantasia redesign that bears a closer resemblance to the modern-day Mickey, remain under Disney's copyright.
The 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, often referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act, extended copyright protections by an additional 20 years. Disney was among several companies lobbying for this extension, which resulted in the current copyright limit.
Other notable works entering the public domain include Virginia Woolfs 'Orlando,' AA Milnes 'House at Pooh Corner,' which introduced the character Tigger, JM Barries play 'Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldnt Grow Up,' and the original German composition of the 'Threepenny Opera' song "Mack the Knife."
The Washington Post highlighted that the release of the original Mickey Mouse character into the public domain could lead to unique adaptations, similar to those seen following the release of AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh into the public domain in 2021. These adaptations included a climate-change parody featuring deforestation in the Hundred Acre Wood and a 2023 horror film titled 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.'
On the same day that the original Mickey Mouse design entered the public domain, Nightmare Forge games announced a new co-op survival horror game featuring the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey. IGN reported that the developers described their game, 'Infestation 88,' as a sinister twist on what was initially believed to be a mere rodent outbreak in 1988.
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