Mickey Mouse Enters Public Domain

Apparently today is the day that Mickey Mouse enters the public domain. Can it be that Walt Disney's friend is now fair game to anyone who can exploit him by plastering his image on everything from tobacco to toilet paper? Seems to be true. Little did he know that the star of Steamboat Willie and Fantasia would one day be promoting all sorts of merchandise incongruent with his carefully crafted image. It's a sad day, folks. Yet, know that I think about it, Disney has already tarnished their image, so why not?

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Time to Retire the "Magic"

In 2001, the Walt Disney Company launched one of their many celebrations: 100 Years of Magic. Focused on the birth of Walt Disney, the Disney-MGM Studios joined the fun by adding the giant sorcerer's hat from the film Fantasia.

The beautifully designed and detailed park was all the worse for it!
Not only does the giant hat still hide the beautiful replica of Grauman's Chinese Theater, it is a stark reminder of the crass commercialization of the entertainment based park. 

Gone are the days of period appropriate memorabilia found throughout the newly named Disney's Hollywood Studios park. Instead of honoring the past and the design efforts of the Imagineers, the new Walt Disney Company chooses to stuff this and all its park locations with High School Musical garbage and Hannah Montana trash and trinkets. This kind of downgrade cheapens the overall experience and misjudges the guests. Elegance and charm are now a thing of the past. Isn't it time to retire this type of "magic"?

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)