Mickey Mouse, Tigger: Characters losing copyright protection may never be the same

NEW YORK – If you are the creative type and are struggling to come up with your next idea, do not fear. Some big works, including the original version of Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain on Jan 1 in the United States.

And if you prefer your Disney characters to be cute, cuddly and never-changing, well, you might want to stop reading.

In 2024, thousands of copyrighted works published in 1928 entered the public domain after their 95-year term expired.

This means those characters and stories can be remade – on the page, stage and screen – without permission.

“It’s important for the preservation of our cultural record, for meaningful access to older works for inspiring future creativity,” said Professor Jennifer Jenkins, director for the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School.

The creme de la creme of 2024’s public domain class are Mickey Mouse and, of course, Minnie, or at least black-and-white versions of the popular squeaky rodents that appeared in Steamboat Willie (1928). The Walt Disney Co is famously litigious and this copyright covers only original versions of the character.

The New York Times reached out to some writers, producers and directors to give you a taste of what might be unleashed in this strange new world.

Wilhelm II and Tigger too?

Tigger was also liberated on Jan 1 and could soon be reunited with Winnie-the-Pooh in the reborn character’s next slasher film. Yes, you read that right. In a preview of what could be awaiting other 95-year-old icons, the silly old bear

became a sledgehammer-wielding monster in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood And Honey (2023).

The sequel is slated for release in February.

“The original All Quiet On The Western Front was okay, but the horror of modern warfare will be much better illustrated with a crossover remake where Mickey and Tigger trick the Kaiser into getting his head stuck in a mop bucket,” said Zhubin Parang, co-executive producer for The Daily Show. All Quiet On The Western Front – at least the original German version of the novel – has also entered the public domain.

Hey, 1928 called, it wants all of these back

Then there is J.M. Barrie’s stage version of Peter Pan; the D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: A Biography; Wanda Gag’s picture book Millions Of Cats and many more.

Bob Greenblatt, a producer of the Broadway-bound musical Smash, called for a new stage adaptation with Daniel Radcliffe as Peter, Lindsay Mendez as Wendy and Jonathan Groff as Captain Hook.

Actor Nik Dodani had a Peter Pan film idea too. “When Wendy meets Peter, a charismatic and seemingly ageless young man, she is drawn into a nightmarish journey of obsession, unveiling the sinister truth behind his eternal youth,” he said.

Can I kick it with music too?

Yes, you can. Musical compositions, like the original version of Mack The Knife, which was written in German for an opera by Bertolt Brecht called The Threepenny Opera, and musical recordings, including Dippermouth Blues, featuring Louis Armstrong, were also freed on Jan 1.

“I often fantasise about the golden age of sampling, where you could ostensibly lift the greatest riffs of all time with impunity. I’m looking at you, Can I Kick It?” said Ryan Miller, a founding member of the band Guster, referring to the song by hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest.

“Jan 1, aka Emancipation Day, is now an annual ritual to dig into the mines with minimal guilt. I mean, who does not need a new spin on Yes! We Have No Bananas (1923)? Don’t answer that.”

Gordon Greenberg, who will direct a Huey Lewis-inspired Broadway musical this spring, said this was an opportunity to “reimagine some classics from new points of view”.

Playwright Lindsey Ferrentino proposed a mash-up of titles.

“Maybe a production of Threepenny Opera with the character of Mackie Messer recast as Mickey Mouse. Very Brechtian,” she said. “Don’t ask me to write it, though.”

The steamy Lady Chatterley’s Lover sparked a lot of interest. Neil Meron, a producer of the Broadway musical Some Like It Hot, suggested “a gender-fluid immersive” musical adaptation with a score from Sam Smith.

Karen Chee, a writer for Late Night With Seth Meyers, pitched Lady Chatterley’s Millions Of Cats. “A lonely wife who forgoes sexy times to instead adopt millions of cats.”

From Bob Gale, co-writer of both the film and musical versions of Back To The Future: “Is Mickey the new lover of Lady Chatterley, or is he only a voyeur?”

And if that is still not enough to get you started, just wait.

Over the next decade, freedom awaits all of these characters: Popeye; Pluto; Donald Duck; King Kong (the original film version); Superman; Daffy Duck; Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and others from The Hobbit; James Bond; Batman; and Captain Marvel.

Get to work, people. NYTIMES