Steamboat Willie, the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse, will now enter the public domain, despite Disney trying to save its copyright on the iconic character that started it all.

Mickey’s Mouse Trap follows last year’s horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which was made possible after A.A. Milne’s original Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain two years ago.

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 has landed a new role: horror-movie villain. At least two films starring an early version of the Walt Disney Company’s famous mascot were announced this week as the copyright for ...

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 ...

For nearly 100 years, Mickey Mouse has transformed from a hand-drawn black-and-white cartoon character to an international pop culture icon that is one of the most identifiable figures in the ...

On Feb. 10, 2023, Mouse Trap News published "breaking news" that Mickey Mouse would be replaced as the official mascot of the Walt Disney Company because its copyright is expiring next year ...

It casts Mickey Mouse as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Donald Duck as the Mighty Thor, Minnie Mouse as Wasp, and Pluto as Ant-Man, and Pluto as the Incredible Hulk.

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.