Nov 25, 2025 21:00:00

Disney returns copyright to 'Roger Rabbit' to its creator

It has been revealed that the copyright to '

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ' has been transferred from Disney back to its creator, Gary K. Wolf .

ImNotBad.com - A Jessica Rabbit Site: Roger Rabbit Copyright Reverts to Creator Gary K. Wolf: New Plans Ahead
https://www.imnotbad.com/2025/11/roger-rabbit-copyright-reverts-to.html

Pluralistic: Disney lost Roger Rabbit (18 Nov 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
https://pluralistic.net/2025/11/18/im-not-bad/#im-just-drawn-that-way

Wolfe is the author of the novel ' Who Censored Roger Rabbit? ', published in 1981. Disney licensed the work and released the live-action/animated film ' Who Framed Roger Rabbit ' in 1988. Despite the film's commercial and critical acclaim, Disney has not produced a feature-length sequel.

Journalist Cory Doctorow points out that Disney's stance of 'creating a work, making it hugely popular, and then owning the rights and refusing to enforce them' is 'a nightmare scenario for creators.'

Copyright law has a copyright reversion clause to rescue creators who fall into this trap. The copyright reversion clause was introduced in the Copyright Act of 1976, and allows creators to unilaterally terminate copyright licenses they have transferred to others by filing documents with the U.S. Copyright Office after a 35-year grace period. The copyright reversion clause is not only powerful, but also unique in that it benefits creators only, unlike other clauses.

By using this copyright reversion clause, Wolff has apparently regained the copyright to Roger Rabbit. Wolff stated, 'Any sequel I make must at least match the quality of the original - in production quality, tone, writing, relatability, character portrayal, and everything else. It must be equal to or better than the first film. That's what the fans want, and I promise to give them that.'

While Wolf was planning a 12-episode TV mystery series called 'Hairy Wolf,' he began wondering who owned the copyright to

Toontown . During his research, he discovered that Roger Rabbit fell under the copyright reversion clause. When his lawyer suggested he might be able to get the Roger Rabbit copyright back from Disney, Wolf responded, 'No way.'

'At first, I expected this to be a contentious process. No one knew what to expect,' Wolf said. 'But it wasn't. (Disney's response) was very polite, respectful and forthright.'

'Disney has always been the best for me. They've treated me very well. Whatever I wanted to do, they've always been happy to accommodate,' he said, showing that Wolf has a good relationship with Disney.

The copyright for Roger Rabbit was quietly returned to Wolf in 2024, and Wolf has begun a project to create a film or series comparable to the 1988 film 'Who Censored Roger Rabbit?' Wolf said, 'What we're currently considering is a film based on my novel. I've reacquired the rights. We're looking at something that's more faithful to the original 'Who Censored Roger Rabbit?' because a lot of people have asked us why we didn't stay faithful to the original, with the speech bubbles and character settings and things like that.'

Wolf also said, 'The most notable project is the live-action

Jessica Rabbit movie, based on the book Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business . This was the first project we considered and started developing, and it's probably the project that's furthest along right now.'

In 2024, Robert Zemeckis , director of the film 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' said, 'Disney would never make 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' today. They couldn't make a movie with Jessica in it. Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price's sequel script, no matter how good it is, will never see the light of day. Look what they did to Jessica in the theme parks. They put a trench coat on her.'