Kimba the White Lion

Based on the manga Jungle Taitei by Osamu Tezuka, this series really effected me as a child. Tezuka’s stories are so unique and powerful. This series was totally ripped off by Disney as the Lion King, which they still deny to this day. Disney sues anyone who remotely does anything like their characters, but apparently have no problem stealing ideas from the Japanese.

Here’s part one of the original Japanese pilot with subtitles. Follow the links for the rest. 

THE LION KING wasn’t Disney’s first act of plagarism; ALADDIN was a ripoff of Richard Williams’ sadly incomplete THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER.

Thank the Almighty God for Pixar!  They were right to give Disney a gradual overhaul.

Posted by John Cassidy  on  11/29  at  11:30 AM

Oh, I KNOW they ripped it off. I very clearly remember watching a little five-minute advert in a theatre that was showcasing Disney’s next animated film. They said it as “all about a lion named...Kimba”.

Direct quote. I was most likely the only one in the theatre who was saying to himself “WTF??”.

Posted by Dave Marron  on  11/29  at  12:18 PM

I don’t know why Tezuka’s estate hasn’t sued them. It’s such a blatant rip off it makes me angry.

Posted by  on  11/29  at  12:30 PM

They did sue Disney, until Disney paid them to keep them quiet.

If Tezuka himself was alive, he would never have accepted that.  He would’ve sued Disney to the end.

Posted by John Cassidy  on  11/29  at  12:43 PM

Believe it or not, the official word from Tezuka Pro was that since Tezuka himself had been so influenced by Disney, he’d have been “pleased” to see them so influenced by him.  That came straight from Matsutani, the president.  Fred Schodt says it was sincere.  And finally, it takes a lot to get a Japanese company to sue.
But while Tezuka Pro might be fine with it, it doesn’t mean I have to be.  Probably the thing that infuriated me the most was how they denied it, even after Fred Patten put together that sequence of images showing the numerous IDENTICAL scenes.

Posted by  on  11/29  at  04:57 PM
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