In 45 Years, Walt Disney’s Magic Might Be Erased Over Legal Dispute – Inside the Magic
Walt Disney”s legacy inspires millions, and while his works at the Parks are treasured, his movies might not get the same treatment.
Related: Mickey Mouse Officially Being Retired Effective Immediately
Copyrights are tricky things, and while Walt Disney”s magic has been around for generations, time is quickly catching up, leaving less than half a century left before anything Walt Disney himself created will be in the public domain unless Disney acts fast.
Fans had already seen Disney work on this issue with Mickey Mouse after the Copyright Extension Act was passed, which extended any copyright for an additional 20 years, making it around 95 years before something entered the public domain. Steamboat Willie is just right around the corner from entering the public domain, and it seems that Disney”s legal battles with Desantis might leave the company unable to fight this battle anytime soon.
Related: Finally, We Say Goodbye to Disney”s Mickey Mouse
This is important for fans because once an IP or copyright is in the public domain, anyone can do a project around that character or franchise. There are no particular rules that Disney can enforce because, legally, the character or IP isn”t theirs anymore. It”s in the public domain, meaning anyone can take a shot at telling the story they want. That doesn”t mean that Disney can”t still make movies about the characters or sell merchandise, but they don”t own the rights exclusively to that character or IP once it is in the public domain.
Walt Disney”s Final Animated Movie
Walt Disney passed away in 1966, and the last animated movie he worked on was The Jungle Book (1967). Walt was dealing with lung cancer, and ending his career on a high note was important, so he focused on getting the right team for the animated feature.
The story of Mowgli in the jungle was originally far darker in Rudyard Kipling”s novel, but Walt knew that his younger audience needed a new spin on the story for fans. Disney knew that The Jungle Book required more attention to ensure the company”s next movie was successful, and it worked as the movie was one of the best openings for the company racking in millions at the box office. It earned $23.4 million on its initial theatrical run, on a budget of just $4 million. It was also the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1967, meaning that the movie was considered one of the best hits of that year, proving to be a great final project for Walt Disney.
Why It Matters
Without Walt Disney, these movies wouldn”t be the same. He didn”t do it all by himself, but he got the right crew of creative minds to make the stories feel alive and special. Sadly, Disney hasn”t been able to keep this type of special magic in their recent lineup of movies, and it”s clear to fans that Disney might not be the top dog for animated movies anymore.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) are hailed as instant classics, but Disney”s animation isn”t getting anywhere close to the same amount of praise. It also doesn”t help that Disney”s reign at the box office might be over, with several other movies performing way better than their IPs. Bob Iger”s current response isn”t that Disney needs to double down and ensure quality but to cut costs and focus on less to avoid more mistakes in the future.
Mickey Mouse Going Away
Related: “MAGA” Mickey Backs Trump in Wild Publicity Move, Fans Outraged
Mickey Mouse might be one of the first icons for Disney that is going away. The Steamboat Willie iteration of Mickey Mouse is set to enter the public domain soon, and it”s clear that if Disney wants to preserve their titular mascot, some legal action is required, but what can Disney do?
At the moment, nothing is set in stone for Disney to change the policy on copyrights, but with the company purchasing Star Wars and Marvel in the past decade, it would be wise for them to not only expand the current amount of time for copyrights but help preserve what Walt Disney created or else in 45 years, Walt Disney”s final movie will probably enter the public domain.
While “The Jungle Book” (1894) story and characters created by Rudyard Kipling entered the public domain in 1994, the versions of these characters created by Walt Disney and his studio are not. Fans can already see what has happened to other IPs that have entered the public domain to know exactly why it”s important to fight it. Last year, Winnie the Pooh got an absurd and awful new horror sequel because the characters entered the public domain in 2022. Bambi is also getting a new horrific sequel because anyone can create projects around the iconic Disney story. With Disney being a family-friendly company, they don”t want others making horror movies out of their iconic IPs, and fans can already tell that when class Disney stories finally are public, there”s no stopping what some people will do.
Why the Copyright Expirations Can Ruin Walt Disney”s Magic
Related: Disney Set to Lose A Billion Due to These Four Flops
Without it, Disney will struggle to hold onto their long-lasting legacy. Since they are a family-friendly company, any IP entering the public domain might be ignored and forgotten. Why? To allow fans not to associate the IP with Disney because it can”t hurt them anymore if they take it away from their company”s image. This extensive effort will cost the company millions because many of the best Disney classics aren”t recent and will eventually join the public domain, meaning that Disney”s real problem is figuring out what to do with Walt Disney”s legacy and their own because one way or another, these projects are entering the public domain.
Unfortunately, the only legal action Disney can take is to ask Congress to extend the number of years for copyright. Anything else requires the company to change the laws surrounding copyrights, and there will definitely be opposition to any radical change to the current legislation. It”s a slow battle that won”t be decided anytime soon, but the clock is ticking, and Disney will soon have to decide what to do to protect Walt Disney”s legacy.
Watch The Jungle Book on Disney+ right now!
Do you think Disney needs to fix the copyright laws? Do you think they want to protect Walt Disney”s legacy? Let Inside the Magic know what you think!
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