It happens all the time, but usually, the public will never know about it. Studios feuding with their stars has become commonplace over the decades in Hollywood. But they get together behind the scenes, and it’s over. On those rare occasions, the feud will spill into the public. See Walt Disney’s fight with Scarlett Johansson over royalties. But the two ...

January 1 saw Disney losing the copyright to the original “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse—and now the character is onto new, decidedly “un-Disney” adventures. The fact that Disney lost the original Steamboat Willie copyright after 95 years of Mickey Mouse this year is all fans can talk about at the moment. The event is extraordinary. The Mickey Mouse cartoon is the foundation ...