The giant stuffed bear, its face a twisted smile, lumbers across the screen. Menacing music swells. Shadows mask unknown threats. Christopher Robin begs for his life. And is that a sledgehammer about to pulverize a minor character害羞草研究所檚 head?
Thus unfolds the for the 2023 movie 害羞草研究所淲innie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,害羞草研究所� a slasher-film riff on A.A. Milne害羞草研究所檚 beloved characters, brought to you by 害羞草研究所� the expiration of copyright and the arrival of the classic children害羞草研究所檚 novel into the American public domain.
We were already living in an era teeming with remixes and repurposing, fan fictions and mashups. Then began a parade of characters and stories, led by and with many more to follow, marching into the public domain, where anyone can do anything with anything and shape it into a new generation of stories and ideas.
After a two-decade drought brought on by congressional extensions of the copyright period in 1998, works again began entering the public domain 害羞草研究所� becoming available for use without licensing or payment 害羞草研究所� in 2019. The public began to notice in 2022, when was freed for use as the 95-year copyright period elapsed on the novel that introduced him.
That made possible 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� not to mention a sequel that dropped last month, a forthcoming third and plans for a 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� of twisted public domain characters including Bambi and Pinocchio. Pooh going public was followed this year by a moment many thought would never come: the copyright expiration on the original version of Mickey Mouse, as he appeared in the 1928 Walt Disney short, 害羞草研究所淪teamboat Willie.害羞草研究所�
The mouse and the bear are but the beginning. The heights of 20th century pop culture 害羞草研究所� Superman among them 害羞草研究所� lie ahead.
Classic characters, new stories, fresh mashups. Will it be all be a bonanza for makers? Are we entering a heyday of cross-generational collaboration or a plummet in intellectual property values as audiences get sick of seeing variations of the same old stories?
Does a murderous Pooh bear have something to show the 21st century entertainment world?
COULD THIS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE?
Films from Hollywood害羞草研究所檚 early talkie era have started to become public. King Kong, who has one of his enormous feet in the public domain already because of complications between companies that own a piece of him, will shed his remaining chains in 2029. Then, in the 2030s, Superman will soar into the public domain, followed in quick succession by Batman, the Joker and Wonder Woman.
The possibility of new stories is vast. So is the possibility of repetition. Classic stories and characters could get, well a bit tiresome.
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 feel like it害羞草研究所檚 going to make that big a difference,害羞草研究所� says Phil Johnston, an Oscar nominee who co-wrote Disney害羞草研究所檚 2011 害羞草研究所淲reck It-Ralph害羞草研究所� and co-wrote and co-directed its sequel, 2018害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淩alph Breaks the Internet.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淟ike, 害羞草研究所榃innie the Pooh Blood and Honey害羞草研究所� was was a novelty, made a bit of a splash, I guess. But if someone makes 害羞草研究所楽teamboat Willie害羞草研究所� (into) a jet ski movie or something, who cares?害羞草研究所� he says. 害羞草研究所淚f there害羞草研究所檚 some great new idea behind it, maybe. But there害羞草研究所檚 nothing I害羞草研究所檓 looking at where I害羞草研究所檓 thinking, 害羞草研究所極h, my God, now that 害羞草研究所橳he Jazz Singer害羞草研究所� is available, I害羞草研究所檓 going to redo that.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
Many creators were clearly anxious to do something with 害羞草研究所淭he Great Gatsby,害羞草研究所� which has been subject to several reinterpretations in very different flavors since it became public in 2021, says Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and .
害羞草研究所淲e have our feminist retellings of `The Great Gatsby害羞草研究所�, where from her perspective, Daisy gets to tell the story from her perspective,害羞草研究所� Jenkins says. 害羞草研究所淲e got prequels, we got sequels, we害羞草研究所檝e got musicals, TV shows, we害羞草研究所檝e got because we always do. These are things that you can do with public domain work. These are things that you can do with with Mickey Mouse.害羞草研究所�
But the newly available works and characters are arriving after years of parent corporations demanding that every creation be tied to their intellectual property. And with some big, 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所�-sized exceptions, the returns are growing thinner, and artists themselves are a little sick of it.
害羞草研究所淭he biggest limiting factor right now is that almost everything that anyone wants is has to be from existing IP,害羞草研究所� says Johnston, whose newest project is an animated adaptation of Roald Dahl害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Twits害羞草研究所� for Netflix. 害羞草研究所滱nd that that the notion of an original idea is somehow scary, certainly to a marketing entity, because they just have to work harder to get it into the public害羞草研究所檚 consciousness. That害羞草研究所檚 the bummer.害羞草研究所�
And while Shakespeare, Dickens and Austen have been public-domain gold mines at various times, other properties have proven more problematic. The forthcoming 害羞草研究所� ,害羞草研究所� starring and Cynthia Erivo, will be yet another attempt at using the public-domain work of author Frank Baum害羞草研究所檚 Oz 害羞草研究所� filtered through a hit novel and Broadway show 害羞草研究所� to glom onto the classic status of the 1939 害羞草研究所淲izard of Oz害羞草研究所� film. Previous tries led to little success, and most were outright flops, most recently 2013害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淥z the Great and Powerful,害羞草研究所� from Disney.
(In an odd quirk of the 害羞草研究所淲izard of Oz害羞草研究所� rights, the film害羞草研究所檚 most famous artifact, Dorothy害羞草研究所檚 , are still the intellectual property of MGM via the 1939 film. In Baum害羞草研究所檚 book, the shoes were silver.)
IN THE BEGINNING, DISNEY LED THE WAY WITH PUBLIC DOMAIN SUCCESS
Some of the most effective use ever of public domain properties came from Disney itself in its early decades, turning time-tested folktales and novels into modern classics with 害羞草研究所淪now White,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淧inocchio害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淐inderella.害羞草研究所� It would later become the primary protector of the most valuable rights in entertainment, from the Marvel universe to the Star Wars galaxy to its homegrown content.
That has meant a major flowering through the years of fan art and fan fiction, with which the company has a mixed relationship.
害羞草研究所淲hen you look at how the Disney organization actually engages with fan art, there害羞草研究所檚 a lot of looking the other way,害羞草研究所� says , an author and activist who advocates for broader public ownership of works. 害羞草研究所淚 always thought that there was so much opportunity for collaboration that was being missed there.害羞草研究所�
He gives as an example binders full of fan-fiction biographies of the ghosts at Disney World害羞草研究所檚 Haunted Mansion, maintained by the teens who work there, which he observed when working on a project with the company害羞草研究所檚 so-called Imagineers.
害羞草研究所淪ome of it actually is now part of the lore,害羞草研究所� Doctorow says. 害羞草研究所淚 think that creatively that is an organization that really embraces that. I think commercially it害羞草研究所檚 an organization that has really struggled with it.害羞草研究所�
When the law extending copyright by 20 years passed in 1998, musicians including Bob Dylan were among the key figures who had implored Congress to act. Younger generations of musicians, who came up awash in sampling and remixing, made no discernible outcry for another extension. In part this could be because in the streaming era, many of them make little off recorded music.
Jimmy Tamborello, who records and performs electronic music under the name Dntel and as part of The Postal Service 害羞草研究所� a group whose very name caused trademark headaches with the official version at its inception 害羞草研究所� says artists are generally happy to allow others to turn their work into new things. The problem is companies that come between them, and get most of the financial benefit.
害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 always a corporation involved,害羞草研究所� Tamborello says. 害羞草研究所淚 think no one would care if it was just artists to artists. I feel like it would be nice if it was more open, more free. It seems like it has more to do with respecting the original work.害羞草研究所�
He says it was 害羞草研究所渞eally exciting害羞草研究所� when the rapper used his hook from The Postal Service害羞草研究所檚 best known song, 害羞草研究所淪uch Great Heights害羞草研究所� on a track released on YouTube and Soundcloud even before he made the proper legal arrangements to use it on an album.
Johnston says age and experience have made him feel less possessive about his own work.
害羞草研究所淓arlier in my career, everything was an affront. Everything made me angry and like, 害羞草研究所楾hat was that was my idea! I should have had credit for that!害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 he says. 害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 want to say I害羞草研究所檓 just easy and breezy about it, but I think there are so few truly original ideas. 害羞草研究所�. We all kind of will have similar thoughts at a certain point. So it doesn害羞草研究所檛 particularly bother me.害羞草研究所�
His attitude changes if the re-maker is not an artist but . That was a key issue in last year害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所� and is yet another facet of remix culture that, alongside copyright expirations, could change the faces of some of history害羞草研究所檚 most renowned characters in ways no one has ever considered.
害羞草研究所淚f a writer feels for me, it害羞草研究所檚 fine,害羞草研究所� Johnston says. 害羞草研究所淚f an AI steals from me, that sucks.害羞草研究所�
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