There wasn't always bad blood between media giant Disney and EDM star Deadmau5 -- the artist recently revealed that he was in talks to help re-imagine the company's classic 1940 film Fantasia before things went wrong.
Disney filed a lengthy complaint with the U.S. Trademark Office last month, claiming that Deadmau5's signature "mau5head" logo could be misconstrued by fans of the timeless character Mickey Mouse, who has become the poster figure for everything Disney, The Hollywood Reporter notes. "Applicant's Mouse Ears Mark is nearly identical in appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression to Disney's Mouse Ears Marks," Disney wrote.
Deadmau5, aka Joel Zimmerman, filed an even lengthier explanation with the Trademark Office recently - 1,000 pages compared to Disney's 171 - where he outlines how Disney dropped him from a number of projects. The feud lost the artist a gig remixing the theme for Disney XD's new show Star Wars Rebels, but that was just the beginning. According to Deadmau5's response, he was approached by a concert promotion company in October of last year on behalf of Disney to "re-imagine" Fantasia for its 75th anniversary. The artist even included a mock-up of their idea in his answer, which had Deadmau5 as the sorcerer's apprentice (see below).
"The pitch involved deadmau5 creating and performing new original music at live Fantasia concerts at major venues around the world, including the Hollywood Bowl," Deadmau5's answer reads. "The rationale given for selecting deadmau5 for this opportunity was that: 'Deadmau5 is the most innovative musician of our time, and Disney the most successful entertainment brand to ever exist. Bringing these two visionaries together, with this particular franchise, provides an incredible opportunity that could touch millions of people around the world.'"
We'll update you as more information becomes available in this legal battle.
