Mickey Mouse Is Now In the Public Domain. Well, Sort Of. Even though only one very specific version of the character is free to use, it still represents a positive step for creative expression.

Mickey Mouse in particular quickly became one of the most iconic characters of the Disney brand. Today, he is featured in virtually every aspect of Disney’s branding.

For nearly a century, the image of Mickey Mouse has been married to Disney’s brand, but in 2024, the copyright of Disney’s first film featuring Mickey will expire. CNN values your feedback 1.

The “Steamboat Willie” version of Mickey Mouse has sailed to Walt Disney’s biggest enemy: the public domain. Much like Winnie the Pooh took his first bloody steps into the public domain last ...

“Plane Crazy,” Disney’s first Mickey Mouse short, featured a hot-tempered Mickey humiliating and forcibly kissing his beloved Minnie Mouse.

This review originally ran March 19, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at SXSW. It is easy, perhaps, to take Mickey Mouse for granted, both as an icon and a character.

The version of Mickey Mouse seen in Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy enters the public domain alongside the play Peter Pan, the song “Mack the Knife,” and more.

Offering 93 minutes of radiant rodent hagiography, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is maybe the most polished of Disney+’s recent documercials. (Others include Behind the Attraction, Marvel 616 and ...