Between 2027 and 2037, the characters that built modern American pop culture will stop belonging to the companies that created them and will be released for the American public to use. One by one, Pluto, Donald, Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, and Wonder Woman will be available for indie creatives to legally reimagine. PixlParade has mapped out the timeline.
The early half of the timeline is dominated by Disney characters. Pluto releases in 2027, Donald and Goofy in 2030, Snow and the Duck nephews in 2033. After that, we’re entering our superhero era with full force. Superman enters the public domain in 2034, Batman in 2035, the Batman Rogues Gallery and Captain America in 2036, and Wonder Woman in 2037. Warner Bros. will lose Porky Pig in 2031 and Bugs Bunny in 2036, so maybe we can look forward to an indie talent with a fresh idea that will become a new era’s Space Jam.
We’ve recently seen some horror remakes of public-domain characters, like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Bambi: The Reckoning. These are the best-known examples of dramatic public-domain reinventions. It introduces the bigger story of how foundational pop culture works and will see genuine reinvention. Indie filmmakers, novelists, comic creators, and game developers will gain access to raw material that was once available only through expensive licensing deals.
Note that PixlParade states these dates assume there will be no changes to copyright law or unexpected extensions of copyrights. The rules are messier than a simple timeline can portray. There are some characters on the chart, like Wimpy, Bluto, Dr. Occult, and Sandman, who may already be in the public domain because their copyrights were never renewed. Trademarks add further complications. No matter what happens, the next decade will see a handover of cultural property to the public. It will be exciting to see what artists do with these options!
