The year kicked off in fine fettle with yet another beloved Disney character entering the public domain: Mickey Mouse, or at least the early versions of him, who joins the also now free Winnie the Pooh and others. It didn’t take long for a slew of decidedly un-family-friendly Mickey movies to be announced. And just as he threatened to do at the end of last year, John Oliver is getting ready to make Mickey say and/or do some pretty nasty things.
We’re back February 18th, and we’re pretty sure this was an okay way to let you know about it!! Ya, probably fine. pic.twitter.com/rcF5KweIZi
— Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight) January 24, 2024
Per Deadline, Last Week Tonight, Oliver’s longtime socio-political comedy show, bowed an ad for its forthcoming new season, which kicks off February 19. The picture finds Oliver smiling as he cowers behind a giant replica of Mickey circa Steamboat Willie, the game-changing 1928 short that proved the first major synch sound cartoon, not only popularizing Mickey and his gal pal Minnie but putting The Walt Disney Company on the map.
“What are they gonna do, sue?” reads the ad’s caption, taunting the company to do just that.
Could Disney sue Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Last Week Tonight, as well as all those other naughty Mickey movies? They haven’t gone for Adult Swim, who’ve already dropped their own Steamboat Willie parody. Still, it could happen. In one of the show’s final episodes from last year, Oliver, while teasing more Mickey mockery to come, speculated that they could.
“We are staking our claim to Mickey Mouse right now,” Oliver joked, “And I know Disney’s lawyers might argue that this Mickey is closely associated with their brand, although they should know that he’s pretty associated with our brand now too.”
So get ready for mid-February, when Oliver could help ignite a firestorm between two of the biggest media companies, all over a cartoon rat.
(Via Deadline)
Source: https://uproxx.com/tv/john-oliver-dares-disney-sue-mickey-mouse-promo-last-week-tonight/
