Disney Plagarise The Lion King Storyline
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This story has been circulating the net for years now, but I was thinking of sharing it with you guys. Remember the Lion King? The animated cartoon from Disney? Kimba the White Lion by Osamu Tezuka was released in the 70’s, where else The Lion King from Disney was release in the 90’s, considering the fact that both are 20 years apart, what are the odds that both of the storyline are somewhat identical, not similar but identical in almost every aspect.
Even the names “Simba” and “Kimba” comes so near, Disney deny that they steal the storyline from the Japanese artist, but that doesn’t matter because animated buffs believe that Disney ripped off Kimba to create The Lion King. Here are the scene by scene comparison, what say you? Coincidence?
Tags: Animated Cartoon, Disney, Kimba, Kimba the White Lion, Osamu Tezuka, Simba, The Lion King
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ruth
September 18th, 2007I understand where your coming from but things like this are happening all the time, there are meny forms of “snow white” and that was from ages ago befone books! and i’m sure this is just the same
that story just inspired walt disney and it just shows that he liked the story, the artist should be PROWED! if Walt had stolen the names aswell then THAT would have made it COPYWRITE but he didn’t but i do agree that Walt was in the wrong and should have at least said where he got the idea from
stef
September 29th, 2007The ideas may be the same but look at the impact Lion king has given off, people still watch it today it was even brought back from the disney vault on to a special edition disc…I love anime but Kimba the white lion is something i have never heard of ever, besides even if i did see it Lion King would still be the best, and don’t call me some stupid kid who doesn’t know better and don’t post idiotic comments on my website.
vdog
September 30th, 2007Type your comment here.
Walt Disney has a much better imagination than whoever wrote Kimba the white lion. Besides, there was this random movie, written by the Japanese, and they had a mouse who looked somewhat exactly like Mickey Mouse! So, It’s only fair that we have the Lion King.
ASHLEY
October 22nd, 2007KIMBA IS A RIPP OFFFFF
I LIKE SIMBAD BETTER
Michelle Taylor
November 15th, 2007I believe Disney loves to rip off anything they can. However, they have a double standard: NO ONE is allowed to copy their “original” ideas. It does not matter if the Lion King had a better impact, was animated better and given a “more fleshed out” storyline. The fact is that the giant corporation obviously stole it (and got away with it) and they have been denying this plain, bald FACT for years.
“don’t call me some stupid kid who doesn’t know better” is a classic comment I hear from folks who defend Disney. Stupid? No. Misinformed? YES. Just because you haven’t ever heard of Kimba doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. It existed BEFORE the Lion King.
Tor
November 16th, 2007Go be a lawyer and do something about it. Honestly, if they haven’t been sued already, then they obviously must have been smart enough not to infringe on any copyrights.
Oh no, one person wrote something, and then another person came along and redid it and…a hit was born!
Haven’t you ever heard, “What hurts the most” by Rascal Flatts? Jo O’Meara from S Club 7 wrote that. It sucks, but she was hardly noticed whereas they made it famous.
That’s the world, kids. If you really have that much spite against Disney, then don’t buy their products, and be more informative to people who do. They don’t promote drugs, nor violence nor a whole lotta other bad things like the vast majority of other big bad companies do.
At least complain about something that’s really negative.
stef
November 17th, 2007Stupid. no. Misinformed. no. I love Disney… and its Osamu Tezuka fault if it wasn’t copyrighted.
MARY!!
November 19th, 2007EW i am scared to watch Kimba idk why. Anyway Kimba look like a freakin mouse! Hes cute though.
can someone yell me what kimba is about please!!!!
Charles Jannuzi
November 24th, 2007Plagiarism is one thing, violation of copyright and trademarks are somewhat different issues.
If Disney animators turned to Tezuka Osamu’s brilliant body of work for inspiration, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED. Afterall, early classic era Disney was a constant source of inspiration to Tezuka.
A Disney animators also turned to people like Miyazaki Hayao, too. And he seemed to have been inspired by the creators of ‘Ginga Tetsudo’, a really visually wonderful animated feature from the early 80s.
But saying the Lion King violates a copyright would be like saying any mouse character is a violation of the Mickey Mouse copyright.
It is true, though, that Disney is a big corporation with predatory instincts.
I wish they had got recognition for when they were a creative studio. The last time that was the case was late 70s and early 80s, when they turned out high budget flops like Black Cauldron, Dragonslayer, Black Hole, and Tron. But cult classics can have more influence on the people who make films than bigger hits.
Lugia
December 11th, 2007seriously, i’m pro anime and not pro disney, neither am I anti-disney. This was done years ago and I should say that kimba should get more recognition. Theres no reason to fight over what you like because this is the world.
Eiri
December 12th, 2007Yes, yes, no one can deny that there are so many striking similarities and yes I can openly say that it can’t all be coincidental. If you kept touch with the scandal, you’d know there are several facts that point to plagarism…HOWEVER, if you are familiar with BOTH stories, there are also a number of differences that could just as easily defend Disney’s The Lion King. I’m not taking sides; because as stated, there’s no way to truely be sure. And half of you commenting shouldn’t speak so matter-of-factly about the issue. As for the names, Kimba and Simba; There’s no true meaning behind the two that can justify plagarism because it’s only natural that a lion, an African mammal, have an African name; in this case, the Swahili word for “lion”, Simba. Now as for Kimba, the name was originally going to be Simba. But, since “Simba” was considered untrademarkable, they changed the “S” to a “K”, and came up with the name “Kimba.”
The point I’m trying to make with their names is that it’s a reasonable enough coincidence. You wouldn’t accuse one movie of plagarism because of an Asian character that happenes to have the same name, Lin, Cho, or Lee, ect. as another Asian character in another movie. Same with any cultural oriented characters, whether they be Hispanic, French, Arabic, ect.
So don’t read into scandals, especially where there is still no solid proof.
“Innocent Until Proven Guilty”
~ Kenneth Pennington
THE SEXYNATOR
December 13th, 2007I think that Lion King DID NOT PLAGIRISE
they might have been inspired, and do a few small things from it, but thats it, if u want to see a REAL copy rite look at family guy off of the simpsons, or american dad off of both
Sapphire-Blackrose
March 20th, 2008Are you Disney fans blind AND deaf? Look up Kimba and The Lion King and check the dates with which they were released to the public. Kimba came out 20 years before The Lion King. And don’t say that Osamu Tezuka didn’t copyright Kimba, because NO artist creates something and leaves it un-copyrighted! That’s plain stupidity. I was a huge fan of Disney, I loved their movies and some of them i still do…but i can’t respect them the way i did when i was kid because of the truth behind those movies I watched. The Lion King was one of my all-time favorites…until I also watched Kimba…I was appalled at the similarity of the two, and i researched it further before coming to my conclusion. With the fact that Kimba is an older piece, and the Lion King project was started not 12 years after Kimba was released, it was hard to think that The Lion King was an original design, not to mention..if you ACTUALLY watch BOTH pieces, the story is almost EXACTALLY the same. So no, Disney is in the wrong with this one, they’re just so damn rich that they think they can get away with it. I’m an artist myself, and I made sure to keep ALL sketches and originals of all of my work so that should I get ripped off by a large company I have proof of ownership, plus I have everything copyrighted. Thing is, it shouldn’t have to be this way. I’m disgusted with Disney. They even ripped off a fellow deviantart friend of mine with a new kid show! His characters have been stolen and remade for little kids! He’s had these charcters for 7 years!
Heather
March 23rd, 2008i love the lion king i am now 20 and still love it i first watched lion king when i was 5 and reading what everyone has wrote has just inspired me to find and watch kimba
Jackson Crawford
March 29th, 2008The Lion King and Kimba have ENTIRELY different storylines. Just because some of the animation is similar, does NOT mean that the whole thing was indeed stolen. In fact, The Lion King was ACTUALLY based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Just watch any version of Hamlet, and you’ll understand. Hamlet (Simba) is heir to the throne of Denmark (The Pride Lands), until his evil uncle Claudius (Scar) steals away Hamlet’s throne, kills his father (Mufasa), and marries his mother (Sarabi). Hamlet falls in love with Ophelia (Nala), and with the help of Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo (Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa), they defeat Claudius (again, Scar), however, at the end they all die. Of course, in Disney’s version, the only one who dies is Scar. I think that Walt Disney was a complete genius to make such a classic so modern and understandable. Therefore, The Lion King is definitely NOT based on Kimba. Did I solve everyone’s problem?
jess
March 30th, 2008I believe the fact that disney has taken his idea from kimba but why you guys should battle about this ??? THIS is stupid , even more stupid than disney ”OMG copy other ” I just dont care as long as i like the lion king ! I realized that Disney copy MANY MANY thing and even in is own movies ( have you ever noticed ? )some disney movies that were total shit have many time been some kind of ”remake ” in other of their movies …I couldnt tell wich right now because i cant remember XD but i have noticed this…and it doesnt make the lion king some junk for me. I still love this movie but i cant say that Disney is really original oh no …
But the thing is that Disney is and will ever be the best to do cartoon even in the 90 the lion king look as if it was done in the 2000 and + and no one can say im wrong ….anyway….
So that what i got to tell about this …And please excuse my english …I’m french
-Jess-
Nat
April 2nd, 2008Honestly coming from someone who works for the Walt Disney Company, this is rediculous. This debate will never stop and you “children” are the reason it won’t stop. Honestly, if you want to see something done then sue the writers of The Lion King NOT THE COMPANY.
Brit
April 11th, 2008Most of you are being stupid and idiodic there is no proof that Walt Disney copied kimba the white lion. first of all just because the lion king has some similarities to kimba doesn’t mean the hole thing was copied. You can’t go by a few pictures that look the same and 2 names that almost sound the same and and think about Bambi that movie is almost like the lion king but instead of the father that dies it’s the mother. So are you people now going to say the Bambi was also copied from kimba I DON”T THINK SO.
Taylor
April 20th, 2008Disney’s early movies are all copied from storied that originally existed.
Snow white, sleeping beauty, the little mermaid, peter pan, peter and the wolf, and much more,they were all books. Nobody says much about those, and Disney makes it clear that they got their ideas from a book or play.
What they do is they take the story, clean it up, and add/ remove parts to make it “child friendly”.
Then, they copyright the new story that they made from the old one. For example: The little mermaid.
The original story goes that a little mermaid falls in love with a prince, saves him from a ship wreck, makes an agreement with the see witch, and goes to see the prince. Sound familiar?
But in the story, the mermaid saves the prince from the wreck, and leaves him on the shore, and when ANOTHER girl comes along, she takes him from the shore, and he thinks that she saves him. So he ends up marrying her. The agreement that the mermaid made with the sea witch was that in exchange for her legs, she would cut out her tongue, because her voice was most beautiful of all, and when she walked, she would feel as though she was walking on a hundred blades, and her feet would bleed with every step. And in the end, the mermaid kills herself. There’s SOO much more to the story that makes it different from the movie, (I suggest google-ing the original story and reading it) but the overall summery is identical.
Disney could have done something similar with the lion king!
jordan
April 23rd, 2008you are right about kimba being made first but i still think that the lion king is one of the greatest films ever made so it should be left alone.
not evereything is identical about these movies. look at the characters they are all different
Deller
April 26th, 2008Lion king did not copy them…Just because a few scenes look the same does not mean there the same… Nuff said..
lion lover
May 3rd, 2008I think that they are both very good movies and have you ever thought that maybe the person who wrote Kimba wanted Disney to make a similar one or that Disney hadn’t acctually known about Kimba in the first place? And wanted to make a movie about lions?(I would to)So you can’t really blame Disney, can you? and besides both of them are good and both of the creators of the movies still get money(Including Kimba)and do you have to make such a big fuss over it? Disney worked really hard and i don’t think they’d work so hard if they had just copied it? no, i don’t think so! So why can’t we just settle down?
P.S.I love both movies and won’t let this go on!Think about it Disney made Pooh Bear(how cool was that when you were all little?)
well now thats that settled time to go to see my lions
Chris Leydon
May 9th, 2008I’m surprised no one’s noticed this yet… The Lion King is actually based upon William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” – same story line… If anything the Japanese anime ripped off a 400 year old play…
Oblivian47
May 19th, 2008srsly, guys! stop it! just because it has like… 5 similarities doesn mean the whole thing is based off of it! i agree with Jackson Crawford and Brit!
It’s like hamlet! (which, btw, is a great play!) and if u want to compaire the lion king to something, THROW IN BAMBI FOR GOD’S SAKE!
and besides that, The lion king’s a great movie! I have no intention of accusing Walt Disney of doing such a thing! He was the best person EVAH!
and besides! kimba looks like a frikking mouse! i highly DOUBT that a MOUSE would have to go through the same thing simba did! not only that, but the villian looks like a frikking deer!
Brittani Kopp
May 22nd, 2008I am a HUGE, Disney fan, Disney is my hero!! This Kimba show or what ever looks dumb anyway, boring, a waste of money….Lion King is the best movie ever made and will remain the best movie ever made. And like Ruth said at the top, maybe Walt was inspired by the movie, not to mention it was made by Japanesse people, what good is that, we are American…Japanesse might find Kimba cool and fun, but that doesn’t mean we Americans will….OR maybe Walt wasn’t inspired by the cartoon, maybe he found it boring and wanted to come up with is own version to spice it up!! I also agree with who ever said that there are different versions of snow white and stuff, because my little sister has stupid little cartoon things…one of Snow white and one of Cinderella….i fall asleep everytime i watch them, they are SOOOO retarded, i find Walt’s Snow white and Cinderella MUCH more fun and interesting….not to mention Walt sorta makes his movies musical…Snow white, Cinderella and Lion King all have music that sucks you in and get stuck in your head….where as my little sister’s movies don’t and Kimba, well i don’t know much about that one, but i am sure it isn’t all that interesting
Angela
May 23rd, 2008Although the inspiration for the graphics design might have come from this Japanese movie, if you really pay attention to the story, you’ll see it closely resembles Shakespeare, particularly Hamlet! And everyone is free to use Shakespeare! :)
damian
May 27th, 2008will yall all just shut up already.. ga lee yall are like a bunch of babys who cares if walt disney stole the idea or which one came out first. if you like lion king then ok. if you like kimba then ok. just watch the one you like and leave the other one alone. as long as you enjoy thats all that matters so shut up already
moonlightamber
June 8th, 2008I think the debate went a bit far here. I’ll just throw in my two cents (other than what has been said already).
I don’t think it’s a matter of plagiarism, or violation of copyright, or which one is better, etc. I’ve only seen The Lion King, but have read soooo much about this Simba/Kimba debate that I want to see Osamu Tezuka’s “original” version as well.
While everyone has to agree that there are SOME differences, the issue is NOT that Disney completely copied the anime, it’s that Disney denied (and is still in denial) that it has ever even HEARD of Kimba before The Lion King came out. I mean, the author of Kimba is now dead, but with all the fans’ uproar in the 1990s, couldn’t they have at least put in a credit, or a reference to Kimba? By the way, there were something like thirty scriptwriters and editors taking part in the Lion King project, and Disney also regularly sent artists to Japan to learn about the art culture there. How is it possible that they have NEVER heard of Kimba the White Lion?
But then again, what does it matter? Osamu Tezuka is dead, and it’s only his fans that are debating “for him”. But as many people would agree, Tezuka himself was inspired by Disney, and would have been DELIGHTED that one of Disney’s works is similar to his. His family doesn’t care now either, so there really isn’t a point to this debate.
_x_Kimba_x_
July 10th, 2008Ruth: No, this is Different. Disney outright copied the other things and admiteded it. This time, they copied so much from Kimba but wouldn’t admit it. They are lying and saying they are original.
Stef: TLK’s animation is better, but it has no morals. In Kimba, our little lion just trys to help everyone get along. In TLK, Mufasa and Simba just assume they should eat everyone they need to.
Vdog: By coping Kimba, they prove they have no imagination.
Ashley: 1: Kimba came first, HOW could they rip off TLK? 2: It’s ‘Simba’, not ‘Simbad.’
MT: I agree.
Tor: Tezuka’s family didn’t have enough money to sue. (Honestly, they were that poor.)
Stef: It was copyrighted, by Tezuka was DEAD, and his family was POOR. Jeez!
Mary: Kimba is about a lion who wants to bring peace between humans and animals.
CJ: But, Disney stole Character, plotlines, and important scenes, not just the fact Simba is a lion.
Lugia: You’re right, but Disney should have at least given Tezuka a tiny bit of recognition.
Eiri: Actualy, many of the people on the Disney crew refered to Simba as Kimba. One thought he was doing a remake of: ‘…that whitle lion show from when I was a kid…’ Go to http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm
The SN: There are tons of shows about weird familys. It’s a running theme, and it always has been.
S-B: You are right. Also, I’m sorry for that guy who go ripped off and uncredited.
Heather: I hope you like Kimba. It’s a good show.
JC: Okay, I’ll change your mind with some proof. http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm
Jess: Ya, but they normaly give credit to those who they copy. Even though lots of their cast talk about Kimba, they say they knew NOTHING about him. Tezuka deserves credit!!
Nat: Only the owners of Kimba can sue, but no one is realy sure who owns them right now.
Britt: Go to http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm There is a part at the top that says: “If you are only going to read one thing on this page…” or something like that. Click on it.
Taylor: Once again, they give credit though. As afore mentioned: TEZUKA DESERVES CREDIT!!!
Jordan:… Um, actualy, the characters are basicaly the same.
Kimba=Simba
Kitty=Nala
Claw=Scar, etc etc etc.
Deller: ‘Kay, NOW I’m getting impatient. http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2
Lion Lover: If you liked Kimba, you’d know it’s a TV show, not a movie. Also, Tezuka was dead and his family DIDN’T, (I repeat) DIDN’T get ANY money AT ALL from TLK.
CL: Yes, but Tezuka told people that Hamlet was one of his inspirations. Disney won’t admit their main inspiration!
O47: http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm
BK: If Disney was inspired, they are LEGALY supposed to say “Inspired by…” Besides, Kimbas animation, OF CORSE it would suck! 43 YEARS AGO!!!! It’s OLD!!!
Angela: Kimba was a TV show. Based apon Hamlet. Since TLK is based upon Kimba, of corse it seem like Hamlet!
Damian: People are free to argue if they want to. This who section is SUPPOSED to be about weather or not Disney copied Kimba!!!
MLA: Tezuka’s family may not care, but his loyal fans do!!!
Finaly, I have on thing to say.
http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm
nadine
July 28th, 2008Yes but you…are all aware The Lion King and then, i suppose, this Kimba one before it…you do realise its Hamlet?
I mean, there isnt a single original thought behind anything Disney has ever done, they rip off the plot of every film from either centuries old fairy tales, centuries old Shakespearean tomes or, sometimes, their own bloody films.
solorzanoconcepts
August 1st, 2008Wow,,,going through research at work I came across this interesting topic. I applaud all of you for all your wonderful comments. It is a interesting topic for me since I am a designer who has worked at Disney, own a lot of disney movies, I know about Kimba the white lion and am constantly looking for new ideas.
As a designer one always has to take into account his sources and make sure you do not copy to avoid future law problems. However, having said that …the truth is that one can change 30% (give or take)of the concept and make it a new concept. Now this can be frowned upon but it is the law, and one could argue the point endlessly.
I can see everyone’s point of view and yes, I agree that there are similarities … Simba – Kimba…. OK and I am sure many more. The fact of the mater is that they are both creatively wonderful pieces and yes Disney could have done a mention or an Inspired by… sort of thing. But Large Corporations will always mention that it’s their idea because they are trying to sell to a new audience. The new generation whose never heard of Kimba. Sad but true…it’s business. Kimba was a wonderful saga and The Lion King was a wonderful Movie. They are both unique in their own way and I would hate to compare Simba angainst Kimba…. They are both cool in their own way…Also, animation styles … they are done in different animation periods and they are both great. You can not compare The lion king with “Meet the Robinsons” they are two different animation periods. Yes, one is 2D and the other is 3D…Kimba is flat 2D animation and Simba is Depth 2D Animation (with a moving camera)…. All in all, they are both great works of Art and there will be many other movies that will be inspired by older animation. That’s why film people redid Hulk to make it better once the technology is better and find a larger story line to put it all together….to form the Avengers.
Anyways, I got carried away and now I must get back to work. But I had to put my two cents worth.
Blueforestangelcat
August 2nd, 2008Many of you have made a ton of good points but I’ve noticed that some of you have not done all your research. Before stating what you think about this, I wish you would take the time to completely understand this situation. I have learned a lot recently but I will not state my side of the argument just yet. I hope some of you will take in to consideration what I’ve said. And I really hope I’m actually making some sense here.
Hopefully and sincerely (though mostly confused), Blueforestangelcat.
Saint
August 3rd, 2008It’s true what you say about the similar stuff but really The Lion King is so much better. I loved it when I was little, it was my fav disney movie and still is… I’d say it’s good they did steal or copy or whatever they did (not saying that they did)
tweak
August 9th, 2008Most of Hollywood is simply unoriginal these days. You could go on all day battling the similarities of these two animations, but in the end, it’s only one of hundreds of remade or retold stories. There is the stereotype of all movies either deriving from the Nativity story, or the “Fish Out Of Water” story. It is safe to say a lot of Disney animated films are not stolen, but remakes or retelling of old stories. I highly doubt the first thing one thinks of when someone mentions Sleeping Beauty is Disney; I for one knew the story only as a fairy tale until I was older and found out it was in fact a Disney movie. You could argue that the Shakespeare plays mentioned are even retellings of even older stories, the lists could go on forever. It is true though that Disney has a tendency to use Shakespeare quite often; The Lion King vs. Hamlet, Mulan vs. Twelfth Night (girl dresses as boy in order to serve the war so her family’s name is cleared and ends up falling in love with a man still under the impression she is also one), Tarzan vs. The Winter’s Tale (baby cast away after birth and found and brought up by “non-aristocratic” family then falls in love with a visitor of a different class), just to name a few. My point is one Disney movie is tiny compared to the amount of plagiarism in modern films. This debate could go on forever; Disney is not innocent, though neither are most Hollywood writers.
juler
August 19th, 2008Nothings new about this story…
beakmen
August 26th, 2008Yeah but isnt the look of all Tezuka manga pretty much stolen form the look of Walt Disney cartoons. I mean who rip off who here. But since was a major fan walt disney i dont think he would be all that upset.
Ashado19
August 30th, 2008Have no idea what Kimba is about. Does it have near the same story line as Lion King?
The wise one
September 1st, 2008Most of you are dissing poor Kimba, Damn, the 70’s didn’t have the same technology as the 90’s had. Anyway, I like Loin King as much as the next little kid posting here, but that does not hide the fact that this old anime show was ripped off by Disney. Most of you are trying to hide it cause you are wishing it wasn’t true…but it IS. Simba and Kimba! God damn, if the names don’t convince you what the hell will? By the way, don’t insult Kimba until you at least watch it. I never had seen the show, but you could at least check it out before you start saying how much better loin king is.
Smart one
September 1st, 2008Look at this picture…
http://www.madman.com.au/wallpapers/jungle_emperor_leo_kimba__116_1024.jpg
Hmmm…some of those characters look oddly familiar.
LK fan
September 9th, 2008oh come on guys .. u know disney is reformulating films such as Cinderella, snow white and others
there is nothing wrong with that
the big lion king fan
September 15th, 2008i dont think disney copy of kimba story because of there storylines are diffent to i watch some of kimba and it was boarding.But i cant stop watching the lion king i know all the words that all the charater say and the song i dont even think that kimba has song it but like i said i only watch a bit of it. (PLZ leave disney alone because it a diffent storyline and disney are better drawing of the lions and better colours.x
Former Disney Exec
September 22nd, 2008I love the guy who wrote all the Lion King info and then “Walt Disney was a complete genius to create Lion King” – yeah from his vault … I’m sure you meant “the Company” cause Walt had been dead a few years. Just because you LOVE the Lion King doesn’t mean the ones who created it didn’t pull it from another source. And the guy NAT who works for the company, you drink the water there bub, you become one of them.
The issue is a company that big does NOT have to steal ideas but they do – or when it’s discovered that perhaps their writers or artists used someone else’s story, they don’t want to share in the proceeds or cop somehow. They are a machine.
It’s one thing to take a story in the public domain (to 40 idiot who use Snow White as an example) or be inspired by and give reference to something. BUT there are many cases where companies or artists who ripped off material were required to pay up and LK had made BILLIONS.
All Disney fans are as wonderful as the next person but so many of you are short sighted. Disney DID copy the story and do occasionally do so but they fight tooth and nail anyone who has anything of “theirs”. Right before I was hired, Disney lawyers went after a small shop in the UK called Tinkerbell’s (I believe) . . . claiming copyright infringement. Tinkerbell was created by J.M. Barrie. NOT WALT DISNEY. The courts threw it out but Disney tried to destroy a tiny little tailor shop that had been around for years. (I didn’t know till after I was hired – though I saw plenty of things that made me ashamed).
If YOU DISNEY FANS KNEW was went on behind closed doors there, how you were discussed, how your lives & desires were denigrated, you would think twice before plunking your dollars down. But so be it – you deserve what you get if you live so blindly. And frankly – if it makes you happy, enjoy.
There are great Disney employees, but many of the very upper echelon decision makers HATE you. Seriously, they think you are trash, disgusting (I was going to write “uneducated” but clearly from these posts, they are correct in that assumption) but love your money.
And no, I am not a bitter Disney-ex, I was payed handsomely when I left for better digs. But it was tough going working there and watching these big Disney people gouge and revile the very people who love and believe in them. “Walt” would be shocked.
scrooge1991
October 4th, 2008DISNEY FOR EVER
Blueforestangelcat
November 2nd, 2008A story has a life of its own, please respect that. I honestly don’t care were the ideas came from right now. (Although from what I’ve seen of Kimba there isn’t all that much in common. And I am NOT going into the details right now!) But I am bothered by how stories can be abused by those who don’t care about the story’s wellbeing. That is all I have to say. Thank you if you’ve taken the time to read this.
Hopefully and sincerely (though often confused), Blueforestangelcat.
A Writer and Observer.
caey.
November 2nd, 2008Mmm, I understand the point in it, but it still doesn’t match it completely…
The Lion King is an amazing film, that made many millions and is still loved today. The film is well known. Kimba how’ever I never actually heard of before-hand.
Zimeon
November 3rd, 2008I can’t believe the American-orientedness in some of he replies here. Some of you probably have no single idea how influential Tezuka is and has been, and how huge his works are in the East. There wasn’t one Japanese who didn’t react when the Lion King hit the theaters there (I was there at the time, and saw the movie there) people were like “What the F-CK!? This is ‘The Jungle Emperor’, fer gads sake!”. Tezuka’s works are a national treasure in Japan (he died in 1989).
It’s a huge difference between making a version of Snow White or Cinderella, and taking a contemporary work of literature and borrowing from it without even mentioning from where the inspiration came.
I’m not saying Lion King wasn’t a good film (because it was) but trying to degrade Tezuka and his imagination? That’s downright laughable. The man created 150,000, yes, that’s one hundred and fifty thousand pages worth of comics during his life time, was the pioneer in genres that were completely unheard of for comic books before, and almost single-handedly invented the modern japanese animation technique. Poor imagination? Come on. In comics and animation, Tezuka is without any reasonable doubt one of the most influential people in all history.
Who was he inspired by? Disney, among others. Did he hide that fact? No he didn’t…
Also, about names… “Kimba” isn’t even the name Tezuka used. “Kimba the white lion” is only the American title of what Tezuka named “The Jungle Emperor”, in which the main character was kalled Leo. His name was changed in the American version of the TV animation.
And Tezukas family isn’t exactly “poor”. The legacy of his works upholds a huge company that maintain rights, just as a normal, single, simple Google-search would have told you.
And lastly, you don’t choose to copyright something. It’s nothing you apply for. You can apply for trademarks or patents. The copyright is just there, the moment you create something.
Lex
November 12th, 2008I’ve heard in Disney interviews that “The Lion King” was actually derived from an African tale about a king lion. But as the movie development progressed, their story warped into a kind of Hamlet with lions.
scrooge1991
November 24th, 2008Simba is super wow!!!!!!
Kimba is a miserable son of a bitch!!!
OH I LOVE DISNEY
Sergio
November 24th, 2008Stef said:
“I love Disney… and its Osamu Tezuka fault if it wasn’t copyrighted.”
Read the copyright law. You are completely wrong.
You can say that Kimba is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Clearly, King Lion is an adaptation of the adaptation done by Tezuka.
As an animator I must say: Disney Company is not respecting other animators. They are a like a dark Shakespeare character in the industry. It’s a shame.
alex
November 24th, 2008I enjoyed to read this blog. Its incredible how hard is the people to believe something that is there. As one of the post remarks Walt Disney is build over a complete copy of works of others and themselves.
One different thing is that you like more or not this new versions, so to the ones who liked them is ok, but please open your eyes and accept the truth.
Then the idea about Hamlet, good but it still is PLAGIARISM because you must noted in somewhere that your work is based on that previous one.
Justin
November 26th, 2008who cares if they are similar. the king king rocks, and obviously did better then this other thing, as i never heard of the other one.
In my books lion king is the best movie ever, out of every movie ever made its the best.
paco
December 4th, 2008it’s stupid… is as if u were saying disney made plagiarismo of Shakespeare’s Hamlet too!!! COME ON!!!! yes they could have seen that “movie” and used same or similar scenes… put plagiarism??!! please.. more respect for these guys…
ella
December 20th, 2008where do they get there ideas from if they can not copy some and make them there own
Leon
December 21st, 2008um i don’t really care about the whole thing its just a movie.
Cherrylover101
January 6th, 2009……gwad you guys are making a big deal out of this….seeesh
You guys wanna go sue Disney go and sue them for “copying” other people’s work, instead of sitting here at your computers ranting about it.
anyways im gonna make a stupid logical comment thing
if Tezuka was inspired by Disney and disney was inspired by Tezuka wouldnt that mean that disney was inspired by disney? hmmmm…….interesting.
Okay you guys can chew my head off now tellin me im an uneducated fool dont worry i dont really
peace.
=]
Blueforestangelcat
January 9th, 2009I apologize to those who don’t do this, but all this ignorance is irritating me! I keep reading this and find people posting stuff without knowing enough about the actual subject. What is the point of posting it if you don’t know what it’s all about?
Again, sorry for my harsh words, it doesn’t apply to all of you.
P.S.: Cherrylover101, I see what you mean.
This will be my last comment here, I’m not coming back. Bye (If anyone really cares).
Scarlet
January 17th, 2009Let me first start off by saying I haven’t watched Kimba the White Lion so I’m not sure if I should be speaking. But I have went to Wikipedia and just saying. The plot sounds absolutely nothing like the plot of Lion King. So yes there may be some visual simularities. And some similarities between the names. Well the original names. Because if you note the english version they changed Kimba’s name to Leo. So yet another name meaning /lion/.
Now I’ll say this quickly I am not a huge Disney fan, nor am I a fan of Kimba, obviously. I came across this site from an art piece on deviant art. Anyway yes Disney was probably inspired by the /artwork/ in the movie. And thought that it would fit well with their movie. But look at it this way. Disney’s movie plot is basically Hamlet. The plot in Kimba is really different. Maybe they just saw the scenes and thought they would work well.
Don’t think that I’m defending Disney or anything. But look at it this way. This happened countless years ago. And it doesn’t matter really. I mean come on. If nothing has been done about it yet then why would something be done this many years later?
Me
January 18th, 2009How about this intersting fact: a large part of the Lion King is based off of the Tragedy of Hamlet (by Shakespeare for those of you who don’t know). This predates both productions, predating TELEVISION ITSELF! I know that Shakespeare would have been proud of how many pots are based off of his (more than people realize) and other people should be too.
The Lion King does deviate from Hamlet at about the middle of the movie, turning the tragedy into a happy ending, but the basic plotlines are there: the crazed uncle (Claudius, Scar) killing the king (Hamlet Sr., Mufasa); the son (Hamlet Jr., Simba->which means lion in swahili) becoming emotionally distraught; a vision coming to the son… the end is just a little happier in Disney’s version.
I think some people should learn to grow up and not make such a big deal out of petty, petty things. Life is rough; get a helmet. (No, thats not originally said by me. and guess what? no, thats not plagerism. sorry.)
Vixenfur
January 29th, 2009Okay, Kimba is my personal favorite. It seems that they have copied, but they would of been sued if that was true, so it was just– i don’t know, weird that they both have some of the same ideas…
LH
January 31st, 2009So what, they’re both obviously good ideas or they won’t have been redone. If Disney haven’t been sued then what they did can’t be that wrong.besides, it’s all over now and if you don’t like what happened then you need to let go of the past
Smokey
February 27th, 2009I would like to point out that both of these are ripped of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Uncle kills Brother/father. Son gets his revenge and regains the throne (though Hamlet actually dies) The Lion King 2 is based of Romeo and Juliet. So if anything Shakespeare owns the rights to the plot itself.
Ashley
February 27th, 2009Hey the lion king wasn’t a rip off- it’s based on the story of Hamlet guys o:
Amelia
March 16th, 2009well, your Osamu guy didn’t come up with the plot line. The Lion King Is based off Hamlet the most renowned play of Willaim Shakespeare. and the Lion King was actually written many years beforehand.
get your facts straight next time….
your welcome.
Kat
March 18th, 2009HI,PERSONALLY I THINK THAT WALT DISNEY HIMSELF WOULDN’T OF COPYED ANYTHING BUT TO MAKE MONEY I THINK DISNEY STUDIOES WOULD HAVE I EVEN NOTICED THINGS LIKE ‘WATERSHIP DOWN’ HAVE BEEN COPYED BY BT for the “rain or shine” thing the sun looks exactly like Frith.
The only 3 diffrences for Kimba and The Lion King is; the drawing style, the characters and where the characters are put in A.K.A. Kimba was in the thorns but in the lion king the hyena is in them.Coincidence? I DON’T THINK SO!!!
yo
March 18th, 2009it’s called a remix, you assbanger
loch ness monster
March 19th, 2009I know a lot of people say that its not good to take ideas! But some of there favorite movies like lets say Cinderella story thats basically the same as the cinderella from walt disney beck in 1950. They say thats their favorite movie. Another example would be movie that the dad dies step mom takes over just for the money then the step sisters are always mean same as cinderella.
My dad told me Kimba is really good he used to watch it back then. He also said that The Lion King is really good also. Same as any of the broadway shows. They are almost remaking movies. I can see what you mean. but it happens a lot.
Scout
March 30th, 2009you bring up a good piont that I never brought to mind. I have both the movie, The Lion King, and the dvd of the first few episodes of Kimba the white lion. I looked over the back of the Kimba dvd, here are the exact words, “The series INSPIRED MUCH of the classic film The Lion King and would be a perfect companion piece to lovers of the film.” So it sounds to me like there were no hard feelings because the people even bring up how lion king DID get it’s inspiration from the series. HOWEVER I do think the least Walt Disney could have done was written that thier inspiration came from Kimba the White Lion. Any way that’s MY perspective on the sitiuation.
hannnah
April 4th, 2009im in love with the lion king, so whatever.
Sparkey
April 7th, 2009‘Kimba The White Lion’ does look alot like ‘The Lion King’. I agree that ‘The Lion King’ was just a new version of ‘Kimba The White Lion’.
Crow
April 15th, 2009Look. There are 52 episodes of Kimba the white lion. I bet if one looked hard enough, there would be similarities to a whole bunch of other animated movies (not just including disney). To me, they chose the word Simba for a name because it was Swahili for the word “lion”. That is very understandable, considering the movie is about a lion in Africa. The model for scar is one of a villain: sharp joints, sinister eyes, black hair. If i had to model a sinister lion, it would look very similar to Claw and Scar, because they look like evil lions. That is not saying one is based on another, thats just what sinister lions would look like. The rock that they stand on is a symbol of power, which makes sense as he is the king of the animal kingdom. Sure, this is similar to Kimba, but could easily be coincidental. The art in both animations are Africa inspired. Flying birds, big sun, vast plains, rocky formations; it is all African themed.
Hamlet seems to be a major influence in each animation. Kimba used it, as did the lion king. The impression i am getting from many of you is that only one show can use the story of hamlet. Kimba used the story of Hamlet, so that makes the lion king unable to. That is silly. Besides, the plot lines differ greatly, aside from Hamlet influence.
What I believe is the story of the lion king and the story of kimba the white lion are more based on Hamlet and Africa; not one copying the other. Either way, they are both fantastic feats of animation.
2pets
April 17th, 2009Plagiarism aside, Osamu Tezuka is considered “the father of manga” in Japan, he left many fabulous and legendary comic and anime works behind. Please show some respect, and stop calling everything that you (the visitors here) are not familiar with as stupid or idiot…
lalala
April 21st, 2009LION KING OWNS THIS OTHER STORY…DONE
Viv
May 5th, 2009I was going to point out the Lion King is already based on Hamlet, but obviously that’s been pointed out. So, if Kimba is so close to the Lion King, it is based on Hamlet – intentionally or not. Therefore, neither get to lay claim to the plot. Only Shakespeare can.
And to a previous post stating Mulan = The Twelfth Night – have you even read that play? The plotlines are nothing alike. The only similarity is that a girl dresses up like a guy and uses her father’s name (though, in the play, she uses her twin brother’s). That’s where the similarites end. If you wanna see a remake of Twelfth Night that actually follows the plotline, go see She’s the Man.
Snow
May 7th, 2009I never liked Kimba. I preferred The Lion King over this.
Cass
June 15th, 2009Personally- I watched Kimba as a kid, I always thought it ripped off the lion king xP. The lion king was 486868956 better than Kimba, though, imo.
Also, Stop blaming “walt”. Walt Disney died in 1966 you fools(not thw writer, the comments).
As others said about it being based on Hamlet..and many other movies are based on old stories/epics..like Romeo and juliet, and deftinley tons of movies/games/books based on Odeysseus.
lion king lover
June 16th, 2009i LOVE the lion king!!!!!!! this “kimba” crap is so stupid. lion king is totally original and amazing! all you people who be hatin on disney need to shut up okay? nobody cares about this japanese stuff; disney did NOT rip off anything when it comes to the lion king. but even if they did… they made it a MILLION times better. everybody loves simba, nala, mufasa, timon, pumbaa, etc. and ‘the Circle of Life’ & ‘Can You feel the Love Tonight’ do ya think they got THAT from kimba? uh, NO! and HELLO?! what about lion king 2? thats totally original too- you gotta love kiara and kovu! did kimba ever have a cute kid? anyways, the lion king is my most favoritest movie EVER- i love it and everything about it! and anybody who doesnt is a loser and idiot. by the way- the lion king won an oscar and was named a masterpiece and the best animated film of ALL TIME, so you can suck it kimba!
Zaph
June 23rd, 2009This is totaly wrong. Yes they ARE the same in many ways. But have you yet to see the “Kimba the White Lion” DVDs? On the back they even say : “Kimba The White Lion inspired Disneys Lion King.” In the small print on the lower half of the DVD case its self. I wish people would drop this because Disney is right, they deny the fact they stole “Kimba” because they did not do such nonsense. Please I wish people to read what I have to say and if you do not beleive me, go to a store with movies and ask for a “Kimba White Lion” DVD case and read the back.
Thank you
Jess
July 6th, 2009well when i was a little kid, i used to watch Kimba the White Lion and i thought it was fkn rad. I love the lion King, i think its better + ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER?!
but you cant deny that there was a bit of copying going on from Disney’s side.
still, if the jap. guy cared he would of sued!
so meh!
Stephen
August 28th, 2009Oh just shut up about Kimba and The Lion King. Two different names, two different cultures and two different story lines.
There is nothing wrong with getting a little help of some other movie as long as you don’t use all of the same things. The Japanese don’t even care we copied it because they would of sued when Kingdom Hearts 2 came out since The Lion King was in that.
And how says the created of The Lion King didn’t get permission to use some Kimba stuff?
The Lion King is better than Kimba and The Lion King II is better than both. =P
Angie
September 17th, 2009Okay, I understand the majority of all The Lion King fans, I’m a huge fan of all three movies, I have ever since I was little. Also, I have never seen Kimba the White Lion (nor can I look it up on wikipedia since I’m using a school computer, and my school blocks wikipedia) so I don’t know much about the series except the Tezuka created it and some of the art, names, and characters are very similar to The Lion King. However, as pointed out in many comments above, both Kimba and Lion King were based off of Hamlet. Just because Tezuka made Kimba first doesn’t mean that Disney can’t use Hamlet, either.
And is it illegal to be inspired to create something through something else?
Also, I laugh on how some people are insulted as artists because “Walt copied off of Tezuka!” Oh my gosh, you do realize that both men are dead, right? Maybe Disney did copy some of The Lion King’s scenes off of Kimba the White Lion, but they there were some things they did for The Lion King that Tezuka didn’t (i.e. the artists for the Lion King actually went to Africa to study all the animals there for the movie; tried out different animation techniques; etc).
Plus, The Lion King was originally supposed to be based off of the African play, and eventually seeming more like Hamlet.
The Lion King is a good movie, and Kimba the White Lion seems like a good series, why are you all arguing about this?
P.S. for everyone who is flat-out bashing Kimba The White Lion–have you ever even SEEN the show? I haven’t, but I’m not bashing it now, am I?
P.P.S. for everyone who is bashing The Lion King, it’s Disney, what HAVEN’T they copied off of? You guys are making yourselves sound like fools for tearing down a cartoon.