Mickey Mouse, the Disney mascot and one of the most recognisable figures in popular culture, will be freed from its owner’s control the next year. According to the New York Times, ‘Steamboat Willie,’ the 1928 animated short that debuted the character, is no longer protected by copyright.
According to US copyright law, character rights expire 95 years after publication (for works published or registered before 1978). As a result, Disney, also known as the House of Mouse because of the character, may lose the right to use the name. However, that is said to only apply to the character’s appearance in ‘Steamboat Willie’.
Mickey in ‘Steamboat Willie’ is far different from the innocent, anthropomorphic mouse that we are familiar with today. His looks were more rat-like, and he had the potential to be vicious. Sadly, the more human Mickey still falls under copyright, and Disney will probably be quite harsh with authors who use its symbol in their works.
Walt Disney and artist Ub Iwerks collaborated on the creation of the character. The persona was created to take the role of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an older Disney character. It is well recognised for its distinctive look, which consists of red shorts with two white spots, yellow gloves, and large yellow shoes.
The distinction of having the first cartoon figure to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame belongs to Mickey Mouse. The majority of the stories include Mickey alongside sidekicks including his fiancée Minnie Mouse, his pet Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy. The 1941 Mickey-starring animated short ‘Lend a Paw’ received an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Don’t anticipate Winnie the Pooh to receive the same horror thriller treatment as in the forthcoming slasher ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’. Last year, The Pooh Bear’s copyright expired. And writer-director Rhys Frake-Wakefield seized the chance to turn him and his companions into psychotic murderers.
The movie is a distorted adaptation of the AA Milne short stories, in which Christopher Robin, Pooh, and other characters did really have all those adventures in Hundred Acre Wood, but the youngster later grew up and attended college. In the meantime, Pooh, Piglet, and other characters grew ravenous and turned savage. They have now gotten so out of control that they terrorise a group of girls living in a remote area in the movie.
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