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Countdown
Saturday, November 18, 2028 · 892 days away
Countdown
Mickey Mouse 100th Anniversary
Reminders
Event overview
Centennial of Steamboat Willie's premiere at the Colony Theatre on 18 November 1928 — the first sound-synced Mickey Mouse cartoon, now the iconic version of Mickey that entered the US public domain on 1 January 2024 while Disney retains trademark on Mickey-as-brand.
Confirmation checklist
Source trail
Primary source
thewaltdisneycompany.com
Last reviewed
2026-04-30
Tracker status
scheduled
Date precision
Single-date event without a reliable public start time; date-first countdown only.
Schema posture
Event structured data is emitted because the record is single-date and scheduled or confirmed.
Primary citation
Freshness and review
Operational detail
Weak-date handling
The 100th anniversary of Mickey Mouse — Saturday 18 November 2028 — counted from the premiere of *Steamboat Willie* at the Colony Theatre on Broadway in New York City on 18 November 1928. The Walt Disney Company recognises that date as Mickey's official birthday. The centennial is the first round-number Mickey anniversary to occur after *Steamboat Willie* and the original 1928 Mickey design entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2024.
*Steamboat Willie* was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released with synchronised sound, produced by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Disney Brothers Studio on Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles. It was not the first sound cartoon — that distinction belongs to *Dinner Time* — but its commercial success and inventive sound-on-film synchronisation made it the watershed work of the early sound-cartoon era. By the early 1930s Mickey was a global icon, anchoring the Disney studio's expansion through *Plane Crazy*, *The Karnival Kid* (Mickey's first speaking role), the Silly Symphonies, *Snow White*, the parks, and the entire post-war IP empire built atop his ears.
The legal twist for the centennial is the staggered public-domain status. The *Steamboat Willie* version of Mickey is now public domain in the US. Later Mickeys — gloved, red-shorted, modern-cheery, sorcerer-apprentice — remain copyrighted. Disney retains a separate trademark registration on Mickey-as-brand. The 2024–2028 window has produced a flood of *Steamboat Willie* horror films, indie remixes, NFTs and merchandise — but nothing that uses the modern Mickey design without licence.
The Walt Disney Company press room (thewaltdisneycompany.com), D23 (the official Disney fan club), the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, and the Walt Disney Archives at Burbank publish anniversary programming. Expect simultaneous events at Disneyland Anaheim, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort.
Pair Mickey's centennial with the 100th Academy Awards on ABC, the Apple Computer 50th anniversary and the LA28 Olympics opening ceremony for the 2026–2028 American cultural-centennial cluster.
When is Mickey Mouse's 100th anniversary? 18 November 2028. Is Mickey in the public domain? The *Steamboat Willie* version is, since 1 January 2024; later Mickeys remain copyrighted. Does Disney still own Mickey? Yes — Disney holds active trademarks, which do not expire as long as they are used in commerce. Where did Steamboat Willie premiere? The Colony Theatre, Broadway, New York, 18 November 1928.
Date confidence
Mickey Mouse 100th Anniversary is tracked as a scheduled event. The date is suitable for countdown and calendar use, while final logistics should still be checked against the linked source.
Source
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-history/Structured data posture
This page emits Event structured data because the tracked record has a single scheduled or confirmed date. The linked source remains the final reference for time, venue, and operational changes.
Countdown evidence
Retention class
Date-first scheduled countdown
Evidence score
5/10 record signals
City-page readiness
Held to date-first
Planning notes
Source reviewed Apr 30, 2026. The countdown record is intentionally labeled as scheduled or expected; use the source link and any range notes before treating the date as final.
Live values rendered at Jun 2, 10:53 AM UTC.
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People also ask
When is Mickey Mouse's 100th anniversary?
Is Mickey in the public domain?
Does Disney still own Mickey?
Where did Steamboat Willie premiere?
