Overview
- Two early Disney shorts, The Chain Gang (1930) and The Picnic (1930), entered the public domain on January 1, 2026.
- In those films the dog appears as an unnamed bloodhound and as Minnie’s pet “Rover,” so new works cannot label the character as Pluto yet.
- The Moose Hunt (1931), which first names Pluto and establishes him as Mickey’s companion, remains under copyright until January 1, 2027.
- This marks the third consecutive New Year that early iterations of Disney characters have lapsed, a sequence that began with Steamboat Willie’s Mickey in 2024.
- Disney has underscored that modern versions remain protected and it will guard against consumer confusion, and it has not issued a new statement specific to the 2026 entries.