‘Steamboat Willie’ among those listed on unsealed Epstein documents

ORLANDO, Fla. – In a shocking move that has stunned historians and fans alike, Disney has allowed the copyright for Steamboat Willie, widely considered the debut appearance of Mickey and Minnie Mouse to slip into public domain after nearly 100 years.

The motivation behind the decision became clear after the documents tied to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were released by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, revealing that Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse‘s name was among the 150 other prominent figures like former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.

“At this time, Steamboat Willie has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but after the year we’ve had at the box office, we decided it was better for our brand image to part ways with this classic rendition of the world’s favorite mouse,” said Alicia Monroe, a Disney spokesman.

The Steamboat Willie cartoon first aired in 1928 and was directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Technically, it was the third Mickey Mouse cartoon ever produced but it was the first one to be distributed for mass consumption. Aside from being the world’s introduction to Mickey and Minnie, it is also heralded as one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound and a fully post-produced soundtrack.

The revelation that Steamboat Willie was allegedly in cahoots with Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell is not the first time this early rendition of the Disney mascot has found himself at the center of controversy, particularly with his copyright. The cartoon could’ve entered public domain on three different occasions prior to this year (1955, 1986, and 2003) but was continuously extended.

It’s been alleged that these extensions were granted, despite evidence the cartoon may have already slipped into public domain due to errors in the original copyright formulation, thanks to extensive lobbying to Congress by the Walt Disney Corporation. Critics of the animation company have said it’s curious that they fought so hard to keep the copyright to this particular animation, only to let the beloved character go the moment the Epstein’s list was about to be unsealed.

“Disney has fought hard to keep this under wraps,” said Kendal Snyder, an animation historian. “The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extended the company’s control of Mickey until 2003, has been called the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. I think it’s very suspicious they spent so much time and money to protect that asset only to wash their hands of it days before the list of visitors to Epstein’s sex island was released. I think they knew about this Mickey’s nefarious activities and did their best to brush it under the rug for as long as they could.”

“We cannot say for certain what Mickey was doing on that island but here at Disney we believe in the rule of law and that everyone, including animated mice, are innocent until proven guilty,” said Monroe. “The anecdotes of what happened there are disturbing and do not fall in line with the family-friendly values the Walt Disney Company have held since 1923.”

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors in New York and Florida. The subsequent investigation found information linking many high-profile individuals to the millionaire and his alleged sex trafficking ring. Many documents from the case have been released 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This latest batch of documents had been sealed due to concerns about the privacy of Epstein’s victims and those named in the legal investigation but were not complicit in his crimes.

Our sources tell us fellow disgraced Disney star Jonathan Majors has reached out to Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse to offer his support.

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