Christmas Specials | Taking the Mickey

A treasure trove of Hollywood intellectual property is heading for the public domain

Mickey Mouse is about to be set free

Trouble is afoot in the Hundred Acre Wood. Christopher Robin, now grown up, returns to his childhood stomping ground to find Eeyore dead, Piglet grown into a snorting wild hog and Pooh wielding a sledgehammer. The feral animals murder anyone in their path—mostly young women, some in bikinis.

This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “Taking the mickey”

From the December 24th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Christmas Specials

The year as told through illustrations

Our art department staff looked back to highlight some of their favourites from the past year

A year of our visual journalism

In 2024 we found new ways to cover a range of topics, from war to the future of energy—and, of course, elections.


A network of volunteers is rescuing dogs and cats by bringing them north

Tens of thousands of animals are moved to new states each year, so they can find homes


The beginning of the end for oil in California

What happens to an oil town when the drilling stops?

What a 70-year-old firebreathing lizard reveals about humanity

Each incarnation of Godzilla reflects the fears of its time

What a fourth-century drinking game tells you about contemporary China

China’s obsession with calligraphy colours its view of itself