Ryan Reynolds releases a hilarious Winnie-the-Pooh parody video following this year's Public Domain Day. January 1st, a day commonly recognized each year as Public Domain Day, sees works of art that were previously protected by copyright law enter the public domain. Last year, for example, 1925's The Great Gatsby entered the public domain on January 1st. Copyright laws differ depending on the country (and depending on the specific author and type of work in question, in many cases), but works generally enter the public domain 95 years following their original date of publishing.
Published in 1926 by author A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh has now officially been published more than 95 years, meaning it entered the public domain on January 1st of this year. Essentially, this means that characters featured in Winnie-the-Pooh can now be used by anyone, including companies and brands, without having to obtain any permission or make any payments to Disney, the previous owner. As one of Disney's most lucrative franchises, the passing of Winnie-the-Pooh into the public domain marks a significant loss for the company, which has a history of attempting to elongate the copyright status of many works in its catalog.
To commemorate Winnie-the-Pooh entering the public domain, Ryan Reynolds has released a funny parody video of the character as part of a new advertisement collaboration with Mint Mobile. The video features Reynolds narrating a parody book, hilariously dubbed "Winnie-the-Screwed," which follows the titular character as he finds himself faced with a massive phone bill and then seeking help from Christopher Robin. Check out the full video below:
As Winnie-the-Pooh is now part of the public domain, brands like Mint Mobile are free to use the character for commercial purposes. The ad cleverly repurposes several original illustrations from the book to suit the parody story, with one even featuring Christopher Robin reading from a piece of paper (which said "Jam" in the original book) that has been edited to advertise three free months of service to new customers. The ad features Reynolds' signature sense of humor and concludes with him joking about receiving a cease and desist letter should he have misinterpreted copyright law regarding Winnie-the-Pooh's status in the public domain.
Public Domain Day opens up a host of new works of art for public use, something that many brands are sure to capitalize on. Winnie-the-Pooh was – and still is – an important and influential book for many children growing up, something that Mint Mobile is clearly trying to capitalize on and use to build trust with potential customers. Interestingly, Bambi, A Life In The Woods also entered the public domain on January 1st, meaning Winnie-the-Pooh isn't the only beloved character that Ryan Reynolds can now parody.
Source: Ryan Reynolds/ YouTube