Oh boy! Barely 24 hours after Disney’s initial copyright on Mickey Mouse expired, two new indie horror films starring the beloved character have been announced.
‘Steamboat Willie’, the first Disney film to feature Mickey, entered the public domain under US law on Monday, 95 years after its initial release.
This means that anyone is now free to copy, share, reuse, and adapt primitive, early versions of the characters that appear in the film, including Mickey and his girlfriend Minnie.
Despite Disney’s warnings that it would try to protect its most iconic character, the opportunistic filmmakers were expected to soon announce their own unofficial remakes and adaptations – and they did not disappoint.