Happy New Year, Disney fans!

It’s 2026, and you know what that means? It means that new characters have entered the Public Domain, and this year, one of them is a Disney character! For those not in the know, a creative work enters the public domain once the exclusive rights to said work have expired. This year, movies released in 1930 entered the public domain, so no one owns the exclusive rights to the original Frankenstein and Dracula films anymore. That’s because renewed copyrights can last up to 95 years, but once those 95 years are up, they are no longer the sole property of the former copyright holder. 

What does that have to do with Disney? A whole lot, because Disney’s works are slowly but surely entering the public domain. Steamboat Willie, the earliest incarnation of Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain on January 1st of 2024. The earliest version of Pluto from the short The Picnic entered on January 1st, 2026, but he was not named Pluto when this cartoon premiered. His name was Rover, meaning Pluto doesn’t technically belong to the people yet. If you’re glad that copyright restrictions do not apply to memes, sit back, relax, and enjoy these Disney Memes.