Steamboat Willie is on Public Domain

After a century of box office dominance, Disney has finally started to lose steam. It didn’t matter if their movies were made by Marvel, Pixar, or Disney Animation Studios; the majority of them were box office flops and soon forgotten. See  Ant-Man 3, The Marvels, The Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones 5, and Wish for proof. As Disney’s latest movies and shows failed to match the numbers in previous years, one of their most iconic films, Steamboat Willie, was released into the public domain earlier this year. 

Produced in 1928, the eight-minute animated short film was an instant hit and the debut of Disney’s official mascot, Mickey Mouse. This led to Walt Disney registering a copyright on December 16, 1928. After years of negotiating with the Copyright Office, a government body that records copyright registration, the short film’s 95-year copyright protection ended on January 1st, 2024. This now allows anybody to use Mickey Mouse and the other characters featured in the film in any piece of merchandise or media they desire. Whether it's shirts, posters, books, movies, or even live performances,  people no longer need permission to use the characters’ images nor do they have to pay the original creator, Disney. Many people have already jumped at the opportunity of using such an iconic character, with companies already releasing trailers of video games and horror movies called Infestation: Origins and Mickey’s Mouse Trap within three  days of Steamboat Willie being released into the public domain. Strangely enough, once Winnie the Pooh was released into the public domain in 2022, they produced a horror movie about him called Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which was successful enough to warrant a sequel. 

However, there is some debate among the community about what components and details they can use when making media on Mickey Mouse. There is some confusion on what parts to use and not use because the film was released in 1928 when no color was displayed in movies and shows.  Some believe that you can use whatever color combination you want as long as it isn’t the trademark colors they have for Mickey Mouse right now, because it is actually trademarked and would require payment to Disney. Mickey also got his signature gloves and had his ears changed in 1929, which will be released into the public domain in 2025. Disney also has many trademarks on Mickey’s name and other symbols of the character that haven’t expired yet.

While Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh are the most iconic characters to be released into public domain, there are still multiple beloved characters following in their footsteps in the coming years. Pluto, Mickey’s lovable dog, will be released to the public in 2026, while Donald and Daffy Duck will be released in 2030 and 2033 respectively. DC’s iconic trio will also be released to the public with Superman being released in 2034 and Batman and Wonder Woman coming in the following years.