This Ex Situ refers to one of the most heated controversies surrounding Disney’s The Lion King. No, not that SEX/SFX dust cloud thing. No, not the “Original Theatrical Cut” DVD’s fraudulent advertising. Nor the fact that the filthy, treacherous, often mentally handicapped hyenas are all voiced by minority actors. Nor that troubling Riefenstahlesque imagery. Nor the confusion over whether Timon is Rosencrantz and Pumbaa is Guildenstern or vice versa.
This Ex Situ‘s particular controversy is: that much of The Lion King seems to have been wholeheartedly ripped off from the influential 1960′s Japanese anime Kimba the White Lion. Perhaps not the overall plot, but several scenes and characters in The Lion King bear a suspiciously uncanny resemblance to scenes and characters in Kimba.
Over at Kimba W. Lion’s Corner of the Web, there’s a ranting, unwieldy, and unfortunately cyan page discussing the whole issue:
It is my opinion that the creative people at Disney most definitely knew of Kimba as they were making The Lion King– but somehow, before the movie could be released, it was decided that the tie must be denied. Even if that means a slap in the face for Osamu Tezuka, the “Walt Disney of Japan”.
It’s pretty damning evidence.
Remake of Tezuka’s Popular Story Turns Into Denial? >Catena Ex Situ
OF COURSE DISNEY STOLE THE LION KING’S CHARACTERS FROM KIMBA THE LION THATS WHAT THEY DO. ALMOST ALL OF THE LOONEY TUNES ARE RIP OFFS OF OLD COMICS AND BOTH OF THE MONSTERS INC CHARACTERS ARE ALSO STOLEN (CAN’T FIND ANYTHING ON GOOGLE ABOUT IT ….THESE GUYS ARE GOOD) THE TOY STORY’S PLOT IS ALSO A RIP OFF
What’s Monsters, Inc., a rip-off of? There’s one short scene that’s a rip-off/homage to Feed the Kitty…
there was a sequel to Kimba called Leo the Lion
http://www.japansugoi.com/wordpress/leo-the-lion-sequel-to-kimba-the-white-lion/