Valley experts: Public domain won't diminish cultural impact of Mickey Mouse

Jan. 12—Valley experts and pop culture aficionados expect Mickey Mouse to continue having a cultural impact as the beloved Disney character entered the public domain this year.

An early version of Mickey Mouse appeared in the 1928 short film "Steamboat Willie," which entered the public domain on Jan. 1 after the copyright expired. U.S. law allows copyright to be held for 95 years after Congress expanded it several times during Mickey's life, according to The Associated Press.

"Mickey Mouse is up there with McDonald's in American pop culture," said Craig Stark, department head and associate professor of communications at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove. "It's apple pie, baseball, and could be Mickey Mouse. The character was so popular with the initial movies and cartoons that it became the centerpiece of the whole Disney empire. I don't think you have Walt Disney World without Mickey Mouse."

Dr. Jason Genovese, the chairperson of the Department of Media and Journalism at the Bloomsburg campus of Commonwealth University, who teaches a cinema appreciation course, said it's hard to overstate the impact of Mickey Mouse and Disney on popular culture.

"From the groundbreaking innovations with animated film to the huge attraction of theme parks, the company has trailblazed in a variety of ways but I don't think any of that stops just because an outdated version of Mickey Mouse is now public domain," said Genovese. "I think Mickey Mouse was a major part of childhood and adolescence for older generations but newer generations don't view Mickey and his associated friends and characters in quite the same way."

Mike McGranaghan, known as Movie Mike, a film critic with Sunbury Broadcasting, agreed, saying Mickey Mouse is "one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in pop culture."

"Part of the reason for that is he's fundamentally a great character, but another part is that he's been passed down from generation to generation," he said. "Pop culture tends to be 'in the moment,' so it's fairly rare to get a character that endures over the long haul the way Mickey has."

First to have sound

"Steamboat Willie," directed by Walt Disney and his partner Ub Iwerks, was among the first cartoons to have sound synced with its visuals. It was the third cartoon Disney and Iwerks made featuring Mickey and Minnie, but the first to be released. It features a more menacing Mickey captaining a boat and making musical instruments out of other animals, according to the AP.

"For years, Disney lobbied Congress successfully to extend the copyright protections for the 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey Mouse, which dates back to 1928," Genovese said. "I think they pushed it out far enough where they were comfortable with the older version going into the public domain but they still hold the rights to the newer more familiar versions of Mickey Mouse and have stated they will vigorously "work to safeguard against confusion caused by unauthorized uses of their characters."

Disney can still have a Mickey Mouse no problem, but anyone can create their own version of the early version of Mickey Mouse, said Stark.

"I could create a version of Mickey Mouse, you could create one, anyone could, and Disney can't sue for any kind of copyright infringement unless it really, really comes close to what their version of Mickey Mouse is," said Stark. "The same thing happened when Winnie the Pooh character went into the public domain. If it has the red t-shirt with no pants, that's a violation of Disney's version of that character, and Disney can sue."

Horror movies

Winnie the Pooh — sans red shirt — entered the public domain in 2022. A low-budget horror movie title "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" was released in early 2023, according to the AP.

Following in the path of the Hundred Acre Woods, two horror films featuring Mickey gone bad are now in the works. On Monday, director Jamie Bailey released a trailer for "Mickey's Mouse Trap," showing a person in a Mickey mask terrorizing young people at an arcade. A release date was not set. Meanwhile, director Steven LaMorte announced on Instagram a Steamboat Willie movie about a late-night boat ride involving a mischievous mouse and a fight for survival, according to the AP.

"I see that an indie horror film producer is already working on a film with an unhinged Steamboat Willie so that should be interesting to say the least," said Genovese. "I think you'll see some of that type of stuff and it will be a curiosity at first but will quickly die off if the content isn't of a high enough quality, which I suspect it won't be, although it wouldn't be shocking to see some clips of it to perhaps go viral on social media."

Collector

Jared Dunn, of Selinsgrove, has been collecting Disney merchandise since he was a child. He has hundreds of pieces, ranging from park memorabilia to stuffed animals. He has pieces from Toontown, the castle, the old Snow White ride, and cast member costumes. His family has always taken frequent trips to Disney World.

"We have since been over a dozen times and I just love the atmosphere of the parks," said Dunn. "From my understanding, it is just the variation of Mickey as seen in Steamboat Willie, black and white with no gloves and not the variation of Mickey we see and know today. I know people are going to try and capitalize off of it entering the domain and it's going to end up getting a lot of people caught up with the law. Disney lawyers are going to be busy watching every detail making sure no one crosses that line of what they can and can't do."

Michael Conard, the Director of Media Programming & Rental Services at Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, said Mickey Mouse as a whole is perhaps "the most recognizable icon in relation to branding in pop culture, as part of Walt Disney's legacy."

"What's important to remember though, is this is just one specific rendition of Mickey Mouse, in his original form, as Steamboat Willie," said Conard. "This is an unprecedented milestone for the public domain, which is so important to the creative process. Public domain allows access to a creative landscape full of inspiration, for creators, inventors, and more to continue to create new stories and media. I think that much like characters before him, such as Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh, it's going to open the floodgates for creative minds to explore new avenues, books, films, merchandise that will allow the creative muse to flourish and prosper, with the newest addition of Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse."

'Not significant'

McGranaghan said he doesn't think the impact will be significant.

"The Disney corporation makes sure the still-trademarked Mickey is not in short supply, so he will continue to be dominant," he said. "What I do anticipate is that, in the short term, we'll see the character used for satiric or exploitative purposes. There's already a 'Steamboat Willie' horror movie on the way. I would expect that other creators will try to make a fast buck by capitalizing on Mickey's entry into the public domain. That will quickly run its course and then everybody will probably forget about it."

Craig said he expects Disney to try to protect their version of Mickey Mouse. Parents will also have to distinguish for their children which is the Disney version and which is the horror movie version.

"Which version is my kid getting?" said Craig. "That's a matter of parents talking to their kids and coming up with the decision on what mouse they want to watch."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.