The first film starring the character who would become Mickey Mouse, a back-and-white cartoon called "Steamboat Willie," entered the public domain as of Jan. 1, 2024.

More specifically, that means that despite Disney's best efforts to prevent it from happening, the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse has joined a handful of other major works to enter the ...

The best-known Mickey Mouse film from those days is “Steamboat Willie,” the seven-minute short that hit theaters in November of that year and kickstarted his international fame.

The earliest known version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse entered the public domain on Jan. 1, nearly 100 years after the iconic character first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie.

Disney Store has released a first look at the new Mickey Mouse Family Halloween Collection, coming to Disney Store later this ...

This still image from video provided by Disney shows the character Mickey Mouse in the 1928 animated short "Steamboat Willie." On Monday, Jan. 1, the iconic character from “Steamboat Willie ...

“Steamboat Willie,” entered the public domain for the first time. Credit: LMPC/Getty Images (CNN) — Mickey Mouse has landed a new role: horror-movie villain.