This is an image of O'Neill at work on "Air Pirates."

This is an image of O’Neill at work on “Air Pirates.”

In 1979 O’Neill gathered a group of various artists to form a secret organization known as the Mouse Liberation Front. The Mouse Liberation Front put on an art show in New York, Philadelphia and San Diego. O’Neill helped compose and deliver The Mouse Liberation Front Communiqué #2 to Disney Studios, which he in fact delivered in person. In it, Mickey Mouse was sitting at an animation table smoking a joint in Walt Disney’s office. Disney finally had enough. Disney finally settled the very expensive and ongoing case against the Air Pirates. Disney dropped the contempt charges and did not enforce any other measures as long as the Pirates no longer infringed copyright laws. The case remains one of the most controversial among comics and first amendment right protectors. O’Neill purposely continued to aggravate Disney in a way idiotic to most, yet showed zeal to counterculture enthusiasts. Was O’Neil out of line, or simply the only one speaking out about Disney’s practices?

Works Cited

Air Pirates Funnies Vol. 1, No. 1, July 1971.

Levin, Bob. The Pirates and the Mouse: Disney’s War Against the Counterculture. (2003) Fantagraphics Books.

 


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