MOVIES: Was The Lion King A Rip-off?

As it has been told, The Lion King was the first original story created by Disney. All the other theatrically released animated movies were based on books or pre-existing stories. Disney wouldn’t release another original story until Dinosaur (2000). 

 Some believe that The Lion King story was copied from the Japanese manga series Kimba the White Lion. It was also called King of the Jungle and Jungle Emperor. A manga is like a comic book. Kimba was in a Japanese Manga Shōnen magazine from 1950-1954. Kimba’s creator, Osamu Tezuka, was also known for Astro Boy.
Kimba later became an animated series from 1965-1967. 
                                           Image result for kimba 1967
It was the first color animated series in Japan. It began airing in the US in 1966. The production company Tezuka Production began working on the film Jungle Emperor Leo in 1989, the same year Disney started production on The Lion King. 
It was based on the previous works of Kimba. The film wasn’t released until 1997. At this time Disney sent them a cease and desist letter stating that they were copying The Lion King. The case was thrown out when it was revealed that Kimba had been around for four decades before The Lion King was created. Looking closely at The Lion King and Kimba, you can see lots of similarities between the two, like characters, scenes, and even the plot. 
Everyone on the Disney staff denies ever even hearing about Kimba the White Lion. Hmmmmmm....

 There is an excellent 10-minute video on YouTube titled The “Original Story” – The Kimba / Simba Controversy, by YouTuber Alli Kat that perfectly describes the two entities side by side. 

 NOTE: Osamu Tezuka had said his animation style was inspired by Disney animation, specifically the movie Bambi (1942). Walt Disney approached Osamu to adapt Bambi into a manga for Japan to enjoy. The Japanese manga of Bambi was released in November 1951. It was an exact retelling of the movie. In June 1952, Osamu released a manga of Pinocchio that was also a retelling of Disney’s Pinocchio (1940).
To learn more than 3,700 fun facts about Disneyland and Disney Movies, check out my book www.DisneyGuy.org

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