Talk:Steamboat Willie

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Contents 1 Release date 2 Copyright status? 3 Ratio and Self-censoring? 4 Interpretation 5 Saving Private Ryan 6 First Mickey Mouse Appearance?

[edit] Release date

This website says that Steamboat Willie was released July 29, 1928. This website says the release date they give is the initial released before it was reworked and sound was added. What is the correct date?

The website clarifies that July 29, 1928 is the production date and the date of screening to a very limited audience. Preceeding its release in theaters. User: Dimadick

[edit] Copyright status?

The Walt Disney Company may have already lost the U.S. copyright on Mickey Mouse due to a faulty copyright notice. --Damian Yerrick 19:41, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

According to Lawrence Lessig, Steamboat Willie was the beginning of the end of the public domain. Copyright terms will be extended forever just to protect Mickey from falling in the public domain. --Coujou 16:10, 23 November 2005 (UTC)

Mickey Mouse is protected as a trademark. Even if a particular film falls out of copyright and enters the pubic domain, the character is still protected as a trademark. And no, the U.S. copyright law was not changed to protect Mickey Mouse. That is an urban legend. There were far broader reciprocity issues involved with European trade. European Union countries expanded their copyright terms. To take advantage of those terms, the U.S. brought its copyright protection in conformity with those extended terms. Virtually all copyright owners in the U.S. — movies, books, recordings — supported this extension. — Walloon 05:23, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ratio and Self-censoring?

Wondering if a couple of talking points should be added to the article. First, in most presentations, Disney has released Steamboat Willie in a windowboxed format. Because of the historic significance of the film, it is rarely shown in a cropped format, even the miniscule cropping required to display in a standard TV ratio.

Second, I'm surprised there's no mention of the self-censoring Disney did of Steamboat Willie starting in the 1950s. As Disney became more politically correct (and as Mickey Mouse became the corporate mascot for the company), in releases of Steamboat Willie they begin to cut the scenes of "animal-on-animal" violence -- Mickey swinging animals around, squeezing on a goose and a pig's teats in tune to the music. It wasn't until the DVD release of Walt_Disney_Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black and White (2002) that the full version of Steamboat Willie was again available to the general public. — 21:33, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Interpretation

Yep, 69.17.21.242, Wiki has trolls & vandals. You made this rather obvious point by being one or the other yourself. Always double-check anything you find here. Rizzleboffin 19:20, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Saving Private Ryan

Why is the German soldier in Saving Private Ryan called "Steamboat Willie" (at least he is called that way in the credits)? --Abe Lincoln 20:45, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] First Mickey Mouse Appearance?

I'm confused, does the wording in the first paragraph say that it was the first shown cartoon, but not the first made? When I say first cartoon, I mean M.M. only. 67.172.125.13 06:11, 12 November 2006 (UTC)