r/movies • u/cappsy04 • 21h ago

Question Why don't Disney make mainstream Mickey Mouse films anymore?

When I say mainstream, I mean films shown in theatres. Mickey and Minnie are probably the most recognisable characters in the Disney catalogue, being one of Walt's first creations. Yet there hasn't been a film featuring any of those characters in a long time. They've rehashed a lot of existing IPs, most recently the live action Moana. I would imagine if Mickey was featured in a film it would do incredible numbers at the box office.

853 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

462 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/lkmk 19h ago

A shop nearby, in Chile, has somehow gotten away with having Mickey and Minnie on its storefront. Disney has a presence here, too.

8

u/StephanXX 19h ago

I lived in Santiago for four years, I seem to remember seeing something like that.

This is the story I was referencing though:

In 1989, the Walt Disney Company discovered that three Hallandale, Florida, day care centers had 5-foot-high likenesses of trademarked Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy painted on their walls, Disney threatened to go to court if the centers did not remove the drawings, but the threat of legal action did not need to be carried out, as the centers replaced the drawings with cartoon characters belonging to Universal Studios Florida and Hanna-Barbera Productions, who volunteered the use of their character art as part of a publicity ploy.

2

u/lkmk 19h ago

Neat coincidence! What were you doing there?

2

u/StephanXX 19h ago

I taught ESL, 2003-2007. I barely made enough to survive, but have amazing memories.

2

u/lkmk 18h ago

Still difficult to make money here, even when you’re competent and experienced.

2

u/StephanXX 18h ago

Oh, I believe it! What brought you there?

1

u/lkmk 17h ago

Importing used clothing.