Public Domain
Felix in Fairyland
1923 · Pat Sullivan Studios · Dir. Otto Messmer
Felix is reading a book about Fairyland, and decides that it must be a wonderful place to be. Suddenly he hears a cry for help, and finds a fly stuck on a piece of flypaper. He rescues the insect, only to have it turn into a beautiful fairy princess who, in gratitude for his help, grants him one wish. He wishes he were in Fairyland, and is immediately transported there.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the terms of the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, all works published in the United States prior to January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain. 'Felix in Fairyland' was originally released on August 1, 1923, by Pat Sullivan Studios and distributed by Margaret J. Winkler.
Because the film was published in 1923, its maximum 95-year copyright term expired no later than January 1, 2019. Regardless of whether a renewal was filed with the Copyright Office during the 28th year of its initial term (which would have been 1951), the film is now definitively in the public domain due to the passage of time. It is widely available on archive.org and in public domain cartoon collections without restriction.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Short Film Records)
- Internet Archive (Moving Image Archive - Pat Sullivan Collection)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.