It used to be 19 years with the option to renew for another 19. Meaning if you didn't care, it went into the public domain after 19 years and if you did care, it went into the public domain after 38 years. That seems really reasonable to me.
They've also benefitted enormously themselves from public domain and expired or pre-copyright works like traditional folk tales etc. exploiting them and their timeless appeal for huge profits, then mired and viciously defended those derivative works with copyrights and trademarks, and refused to allow their own works' copyright to expire. Take take take, never giving back.