The Dark Side of Mickey Mouse
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the dark side of Mickey Mouse, tracing his origins from a character in minstrel shows to his impact on American copyright law. It also delves into Disney's controversial history, including alleged animal abuse and a mysterious disappearance on a Disney cruise ship, questioning whether Mickey truly represents the 'happiest place on Earth.'
Takeaways
- 🎬 The slogan 'the happiest place on Earth' is associated with Disney theme parks and their brand, but the reality behind the company and its characters might not always reflect this image.
- 🐰 Disney's first successful animated character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but rights were taken over by distributor Charles Mintz, leading to Disney creating Mickey Mouse.
- 🚂 The idea for Mickey Mouse came to Walt Disney on a train journey, and his wife Lillian suggested the name 'Mickey' instead of 'Mortimer'.
- 🎬 Mickey Mouse's first appearance was in the silent cartoon 'Plane Crazy', but his breakthrough came with 'Steamboat Willie', which utilized sound and became a major hit.
- 👴 Early Mickey Mouse and other early animation characters were influenced by minstrel shows, a form of entertainment with racist roots.
- 👎 The original Mickey Mouse character was mischievous and devious, reflecting some racist stereotypes about black people played up in blackface minstrel shows.
- 📚 Disney has been involved in altering copyright laws, extending the protection period for their works, which has delayed new content from entering the public domain.
- 📉 The Copyright Act of 1976 and the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 were influenced by Disney, extending copyright protections and impacting creativity and the public domain.
- 🐦 Disney has faced criticism for alleged animal abuse, such as the staged scenes in 'White Wilderness' and mistreatment of vultures at Discovery Island.
- 🚢 The disappearance of Rebecca Coriam on a Disney cruise ship raised questions about Disney's transparency and handling of serious incidents, potentially covering up negative events to protect their image.
- 🏰 Disney's proposed theme park in Virginia, which included a recreated Underground Railroad, was scrapped due to controversy, highlighting the company's sometimes problematic approach to historical representation.
Q & A
What slogan is often associated with Disney's theme parks and brand image?
-The slogan 'the happiest place on Earth' is often associated with Disney's theme parks and brand image, promising smiles, sunshine, and cheeriness.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of Mickey Mouse?
-The inspiration for Mickey Mouse came to Walt Disney on a cross-country train from Manhattan to Los Angeles. He initially wanted to name the character Mortimer, but his wife Lillian suggested the name Mickey.
What was Mickey Mouse's first appearance in and what was the significance of the film?
-Mickey Mouse's first appearance was in the silent cartoon 'Plane Crazy' in 1928. However, his big hit came with 'Steamboat Willie', which utilized sound and was a sensational hit, leading to the birth of one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world.
How has the legacy of Mickey Mouse impacted American copyright law?
-The legacy of Mickey Mouse has impacted American copyright law by leading to extensions in copyright protections. Disney Corporation lobbied to change copyright laws with the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, extending corporate copyright protections from 56 to 95 years.
What is the connection between Mickey Mouse and Minstrel shows?
-According to Professor Nicholas Salmon, Mickey Mouse and other early animation characters were in themselves minstrels. The cartoon structures mimic the structure of minstrel shows with music, dance, and humor, and the characteristics of the characters stemmed from racist practices.
What was the controversy surrounding the 1958 Disney film 'White Wilderness'?
-The controversy surrounding 'White Wilderness' was that the film falsely depicted lemmings jumping off cliffs to their death in mass suicide. This was later revealed to be staged, with lemmings being thrown or pushed off a cliff for the film.
What is the significance of the Rebecca Coriam case in relation to Disney?
-The Rebecca Coriam case is significant as it raised questions about Disney's transparency and handling of incidents. Coriam disappeared from a Disney cruise ship, and her family claimed that Disney was not fully transparent about all they knew of her disappearance, potentially covering up details to protect their brand.
How has the popularity of Mickey Mouse helped Disney shield from criticism?
-The immense popularity of Mickey Mouse has helped Disney maintain an image of being 'the happiest place on Earth', which in turn has shielded them from valid criticism of their actions over the years, such as missing person cases, animal abuse, and allegations of racism.
What was the proposed theme park by Disney in Virginia that was eventually scrapped?
-The proposed theme park in Virginia was to be based around times in American history, particularly the Civil War era, including battle reenactments and a Civil War era Village. One of the proposed attractions was a recreated Underground Railroad. The project was scrapped less than a year after its announcement.
What impact have the extensions to copyright laws, led by Disney, had on creativity and the public domain?
-The extensions to copyright laws have stifled creativity by preventing new content from entering the public domain for 21 years. This has also kept many literary works out of the public domain, preventing them from being republished except by those who own the copyright, thus not benefiting the public or individual artists.
Outlines
🌟 The Dark Side of Mickey Mouse
This paragraph delves into the origins and evolution of Mickey Mouse, the iconic character of the Walt Disney Company. It discusses the company's image as the 'happiest place on Earth' and how this extends to their brand and entertainment. The narrative traces the inspiration for Mickey, from Walt Disney's first animated series character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, to the creation of Mickey Mouse after Disney lost the rights to Oswald. The paragraph also touches on the less-discussed aspects of Mickey's design, which has roots in America's history with minstrel shows and racist stereotypes. It raises questions about the character's legacy, cultural impact, and the influence on American copyright law, hinting at a darker side to the seemingly innocent mascot.
📚 Copyright Battles and the Public Domain
This paragraph explores the impact of Mickey Mouse on copyright law in the United States. It explains how the Disney Corporation has lobbied to extend copyright protections, preventing Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain and keeping the original black and white character under copyright until 2024. The discussion includes the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which extended corporate copyright protections from 56 to 95 years. The paragraph also highlights the consequences of these legal changes, such as a 21-year gap in the United States where no new content entered the public domain, and the criticism that these laws now serve corporate interests rather than fostering creativity and artistic expression.
🦊 The Controversies Behind the Disney Brand
The final paragraph uncovers various controversies associated with the Disney brand, which are often overshadowed by the popularity of characters like Mickey Mouse. It recounts the mysterious disappearance of Rebecca Coriam on a Disney cruise ship and the alleged lack of transparency in the investigation, suggesting a possible cover-up to protect the Disney brand. The paragraph also addresses allegations of animal abuse in Disney's wildlife documentaries, such as the staged 'lemming suicide' scene in 'White Wilderness' and the mistreatment of birds at Discovery Island. Additionally, it mentions the abandoned plan for a theme park near a Civil War battlefield that included controversial elements like a recreated Underground Railroad. The summary concludes by questioning whether Mickey Mouse truly represents happiness and joy, considering the darker aspects of the character's history and the company's actions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Walt Disney Company
💡Mickey Mouse
💡Minstrel shows
💡Copyright law
💡Public domain
💡Racial stereotypes
💡Cultural impact
💡Controversies
💡Steamboat Willie
💡Disney's image
💡White Wilderness
Highlights
The Walt Disney Company's slogan 'the happiest place on Earth' is associated with their theme parks and family-friendly entertainment.
The inspiration for Mickey Mouse came from Walt Disney's idea to transform his successful rabbit character into a mouse named Mortimer, later changed to Mickey.
Mickey Mouse first appeared in the silent cartoon 'Plane Crazy' in 1928, inspired by Charles Lindbergh's historic flight.
Mickey's big hit was 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928, which utilized sound and led to the birth of one of the biggest entertainment companies.
Mickey Mouse's design and early animation characters were influenced by minstrel shows and blackface, reflecting racist practices.
The original Mickey Mouse character was mischievous and devious, similar to racist stereotypes about black people.
Mickey Mouse and friends' gloves are a component of blackface minstrelsy, mimicking exaggerated lips and eyes of blackface makeup.
The 1941 film 'Dumbo' originally included a Jim Crow Minstrel scene, which has since been edited out.
Mickey Mouse's copyright was set to expire in 1984, but Disney lobbied to change copyright laws, extending protections.
The Copyright Act of 1976 and the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 extended corporate copyright protections, delaying Mickey Mouse's entry into the public domain.
Disney's constant battle to extend copyright laws has resulted in a dearth of new content entering the public domain in the United States.
Many of Disney's beloved films are adaptations of works in the public domain, such as 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Cinderella'.
Critics argue that copyright law extensions serve corporate profits rather than individual artists, stifling creativity.
Mickey Mouse's popularity has helped shield Disney from criticism, including incidents like the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam on a Disney cruise ship.
Disney has been accused of animal abuse, such as in the 1958 film 'White Wilderness' where lemmings were falsely shown committing mass suicide.
In 1989, Disney faced charges for mistreatment of vultures and other birds at their Discovery Island, resulting in a settlement without admitting wrongdoing.
Disney's proposed theme park in Virginia, which included a recreated Underground Railroad, was scrapped due to controversy.
Despite Mickey Mouse's cheery image, his history and Disney's actions reveal a darker side that contrasts with their 'happiest place on Earth' image.
Transcripts
the happiest place on Earth
this slogan describes the image the Walt
Disney Company likes to promote from
their theme parks promising Smiles
sunshine and cheeriness
the mental image this slogan conjures
also applies to their brand at large
encompassing family-friendly broad
entertainment but the face of the slogan
and the company behind it might not
embody this idea as much as Disney would
like where did the inspiration come from
for this globally recognized character
how has their association with the
happiest place on Earth helped bury some
less than desirable aspects about the
company they represent and how is the
longevity of this character changed the
landscape of American copyright law
today we ask if there's a dark side of
Mickey Mouse
in 1927 the star of Walt Disney's first
series of fully animated films was a
character known as Oswald the Lucky
Rabbit
[Music]
however Disney's Success With The Bunny
was short-lived as the distributor
Charles Mintz took over the rights and
pushed Disney out
left without his successful character
Walt was back at the drawing board
according to Walt later in life the idea
for his new character would come to him
on a cross-country train from Manhattan
to Los Angeles
Disney would morph his successful rabbit
into a mouse and give him the name
Mortimer
however his wife Lillian urged him to
name him Mickey instead and thus Mickey
Mouse was born
[Music]
Mickey's first appearance came in the
silent cartoon plain crazy in 1928 which
was inspired by Charles Lindbergh's
historic flight across the Atlantic
Ocean in 1927.
but plain crazy in another silent
cartoon called gallop and Gaucho would
not receive distribution Mickey's big
hit would come in 1928 with a film
called Steamboat Willie which utilized
sound the film was a sensational hit and
would lead to the birth of one of the
biggest entertainment companies in the
world that's still going strong in
nearly 100 years later but as we near
that 100 Year Milestone we can look back
and ask what the legacy of Mickey Mouse
truly is how has this iconic creature
altered both culture at large and even
the American legal system has the
lasting Legacy of this Mouse mascot done
more harm than good
to start we can look at the underlying
inspiration behind Mickey's design and
how it connects to America's history
with Minstrel shows according to
Nicholas salmon a professor of Cinema
studies at the University of Toronto
Mickey Mouse and other early animation
characters were in themselves minstrels
the cartoon structures mimic the
structure of minstrel shows with its use
of music dance and humor and the
audience at the time would recognize the
cartoons as menstrual shows and it's not
just the format that mimicked Minstrel
shows the characteristics of the
characters themselves stemmed from the
racist practice the original Mickey
Mouse character was not as benevolent as
he has seen today the original Mickey
was seen as mischievous and devious
similar to some racist stereotypes about
black people played up in blackface
Minstrel shows characters being able to
endure painful and harmful actions in
the cartoons stems from the physical
dehumanation of black people in Minstrel
shows with the depiction of black people
enduring extreme violence which was
often played as slapstick comedy
even the gloves Mickey and Friends wear
are a component of blackface minstrelsy
early cartoon faces also often mimic the
exaggerated lips and eyes of blackface
makeup used in these menstrual shows and
it wasn't just Mickey there was
originally a Jim Crow Minstrel scene in
the 1941 film Dumbo which has since been
edited out according to Salmon people
have such a Sentimental or emotional
attachment to Mickey Mouse that to
recognize that he's of racist Origins
really stirs strong reactions from
people it's hard for people to come to
terms with the fact that this beloved
childhood character could have such a
disturbing beginning it should also be
noted that the connection to Minstrel C
and blackface is not limited to Mickey
Mouse there are many cartoons who
mimicked Vaudeville and Mitchell acts
from that era
nearly 100 years out from Mickey's
creation it's logical to think that the
character has entered the public domain
with current legislation in place the
original black and white Mickey Mouse
from Steamboat Willie is set to enter
the public domain with copyright
protections expire in 2024 however this
isn't the first time the Beloved
character has faced losing his
protections based on Mickey Mouse's
debut in 1928 his copyright protections
would have only lasted 56 years set to
expire in 1984. to prevent this from
happening the Disney Corporation lobbied
to change copyright laws with the
Copyright Act of 1976 with this act
corporations could hold on to copyrights
for 75 years instead of 56 this would
keep the original Mickey Mouse in their
possession until 2003 then in 1998 the
Disney Corporation once again
successfully changed the laws with the
copyright term extension Act of 1998
which extended copyright protections for
corporations by another 20 years for a
total of 95 years bringing Mickey's
entrance into the public domain to
January 1st 2024.
what's interesting is that despite
Disney's constant battle to extend
copyright laws many of their most
beloved films are adaptations of works
that are in the public domain such as
The Little Mermaid Cinderella The Jungle
Book and the Hunchback of Notre Dame
because of these changes to copyright
law headed by Disney there was a dearth
of 21 years in the United States where
no new content entered the public domain
The Works of 1922 entered the public
domain in 1998 and there was nothing
until 2019 because of the copyright term
extension Act of 1998. because of these
extensions to copyright laws today's
generations have been prohibited from
creating their own Works inspired by
others published in the 20th century a
privilege that many before us got to
experience and benefit from especially
Walt Disney
as Jennifer Jenkins director of the
center for the study of the public
domain at Duke University States we all
build upon the past creative Works
entering the public domain allows people
to build upon that creativity and add to
it these laws have also kept many
literary works out of the public domain
which prevents them from being
republished except by those who own the
copyright because of this one study
found that there are many more books
from the 1880s available for purchase on
Amazon than there are books from the
1980s opponents to the extensions in the
past pointed to the creators who were
meant to be protected by the copyright
and allowed exclusive rights to create
more from their own work the original
intention of copyright laws were long
dead and therefore not making more art
additionally some critics argue that the
laws are no longer serving individual
artists but rather creating a corporate
ecosystem that does not benefit the
public they state that the extensions
were not granted in the interest of
artistic expression but rather corporate
profits
the immense popularity of Mickey Mouse
has also aided in shielding Disney from
valid criticism of their actions over
the years ranging from missing person
cases to animal abuse to blatant racism
the power of the veneer that Mickey
Mouse has allows Disney to maintain the
image that their famous theme park
slogan supports as the happiest place on
earth
for example it's likely that you have
not heard of The Disappearance of
Rebecca corium on Tuesday March 22 2011
24 year old English crew member Rebecca
corium disappeared on the Disney Wonder
cruise ship while it sailed from Puerto
Vallarta to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico
CCTV footage shows the young woman in a
crew Corridor looking distraught while
talking on the phone in the early
morning hours a nearby crew member
notices her distress and comes to check
on her she appears to assure him
everything is okay takes a moment and
then walks out of frame
when corium didn't report for work at
9am alarms were raised and the ship was
searched and the Mexican Navy contacted
according to coryam's parents only one
police officer from the Bahamas due to
where the ship was registered despite
lots of other factors was assigned to
investigate their daughter's
disappearance they also claimed the
officer only spent about two days on the
ship investigating before he returned to
the Bahamas when it docked in Los
Angeles they state that he only
interviewed some of the crew and did not
interview any of the guests the police
ultimately reported no signs of Foul
Play the Bahamian police would decide
that she must have been swept overboard
by a wave a result of Disney stood by
when guardian reporter John Ronson
booked a trip on the same ship several
months later to do some of his own
digging he asked a waiter if he was
aboard the ship when coryam vanished the
waiter's answer was chilling it didn't
happen you know that's the answer I have
to give
according to Ronson most of the crew
members who knew of corium's
disappearance said that she jumped
overboard on Deck 5 near the crew pool
her flip-flops were found there but a
friend of corium told Ronson that the
flip-flops found where she supposedly
jumped did not belong to corium some
crew members believed that Disney wasn't
transparent about all they knew of
corium's disappearance according to her
friend aquarium disappeared sometime
after 5 45 in the morning if she did in
fact go overboard around the crew pool
at the time there should have been
people around to have witnessed it or it
should have been caught on CCTV the
friend states to Ronson that this
potential cover-up must have been done
in order to protect the Disney brand
when the ship docked in Los Angeles
corium's parents were brought on board
and met with several Disney Executives
as well as the woman on the other side
of the phone call she made in the CCTV
footage they were taken to her cabin to
collect her things missing amongst her
things was her credit card but her
passport was still on board in 2015
coryam's Member of Parliament Chris
Matheson stated that the fact that
corium's credit card was used after her
disappearance amongst other evidence
points to the possibility that she was
murdered because the incident occurred
heard outside of UK's jurisdiction UK
authorities were not allowed to
investigate despite corium being a UK
citizen a settlement was reached between
Disney and the corium family out of
court in 2015. the amount of the
settlement is not disclosed but it does
prevent the family from speaking on the
case
during Ronson's investigation the
guardian reporter spoke with other
workers who knew corium and noted she
was a nice person but said
there's nothing dark or Sinister going
on this is Disney
Disney's alleged abuse of animals has
also been shielded behind their animal
mascot in 1958 Disney released a film
called White wilderness
in it Lemmings are seen seemingly
jumping off a cliff to their death on
Mass
it seems that Disney's Wildlife
documentary was quite influential in
spreading the myth that Lemmings
participate in mass suicide off of
cliffs the thought being that something
biologically forces them to
self-regulate their populations when
they grew too big via suicide lemming
has even become a term to describe a
person who follows the crowd without
questioning however a 1982 investigation
by the Canadian Broadcasting Company
found that the footage of the Lemmings
committing suicide in the Disney
documentary was actually completely
faked the scene was fabricated Lemmings
were purchased from Inuit children
because Lemmings don't exist where they
filmed the documentary in Alberta and
then they were thrown or pushed off a
cliff into a river in order to make the
film in 1989 Disney along with five
employees were slammed with 16 state and
federal charges regarding the killing
and abuse of wild birds at their
Discovery Island investigators claimed
that Disney employees beat vultures to
death shot at Hawks and destroyed eggs
and nests belonging to egrets and ibises
most of the charges against Disney
related to the mistreatment of vultures
which were kept with limited food and
water in a hot cramped shed for days on
end Disney reached a settlement in
January 1990 of 95 000 without admitting
wrongdoing while pleading guilty to One
Federal misdemeanor charge of capturing
more wild vultures that allowed
finally the mouse that stemmed from
racist Mutual shows would go on to Aid
in the bearing of other racist actions
committed by the company in the early
1990s Disney announced the plans for a
new theme park the park was to be
located in Virginia just miles from a
Civil War battlefield
taking inspiration from its location the
park was to be based around times in
American history particularly the Civil
War era including battle reenactments
and a Civil War era Village one of the
proposed attractions was a recreated
Underground Railroad in which Park
guests would try to escape slavery
during the first press conference for
the newly proposed Park Senior vice
president Bob Weiss stated that the park
would make you a civil war soldier and
make you feel what it was like to be a
slave the project was scrapped less than
a year after its announcement
so does Mickey Mouse truly represent the
happiest place on earth
while the legacy of the character can't
be disputed it's worth remembering where
he comes from and what he currently
represents
as well as understanding the massive
impact he's had on pop culture at large
both through revolutionizing animation
but also by stifling creativity through
altering of copyright laws because
despite his cheery outward appearance if
you peek behind the iconic Mouse ears
you'll see a dark history Disney would
rather you forget
because to quote the cruise ship workers
again
there's nothing darker Sinister going on
this is Disney
[Music]
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