The Controversy in The Lion King and Explanation of Resulting Actions (or lack thereof)

Figure1: The Lion King

Figure 2: Kimba The White Lion

It is rare that anyone alive within the last twenty years has not seen or heard of The Lion King, as it is widely considered one of the best Disney movies of all time. Yet amongst its success there is controversy over Disney’s claim to its originality.  This lies in the likeliness of its characters and animation sequences with Kimba The White Lion, a popular Japanese animated television series which originally aired in 1965. The similarities between the two often times correlate on several dimensions in particular scenes including; settings, characters, animation sequence, and oftentimes even the script (given its situational context in each animation sequence).  Despite these similarities there are certain aspects of the plot which are the most prominent differences between the two. Nevertheless these two works are alike enough to warrant suspicion. Given the commonalities between the two, the potential for lawsuits between Kimba’s owners and those at Disney were expected at the time of The Lion King’s release and continued be anticipated in the years it. This essay will delve into the reasons as to why no lawsuit was ever filed by Kimba The White Lion’s owner Osamu Tezuka ( or rather, those who now own the rights to his work) against Disney. 

The video below exemplifies the similarities listed above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4GR0DconsU
Figure 3: Video of similarities between Kimba the White Lion and The Lion King

              From the evil uncles (Scar/Claw) enlisting dopey hyenas to do their evil biddings, to the protagonist (Kimba/Simba), there is no doubt that these two animations can be considered very linearly similar with different names substituted. It is important to notice the similarities in the appearances of the characters and settings not discussed in the summaries (not to mention, the main characters names differ only by the first letter in their names). First, Claw and Scar both hold the same fur color, which greatly contrasts with the lighter fur colors of those in their families. In reality the fur color of lions do not differ so greatly. Furthermore, each of these characters’ right eyes are disfigured. The hyenas are stylistically very similar in their behavior as well as their living grounds in both stories being an animal graveyard both overflowing with skeletal remains. A field of thorny brush brings similar events in both works as well. In addition, each story has moments when Simba and Kimba both speak to an apparition of their deceased father whom appears in the sky, sending the same message ordering them to take their place in (essentially) “the circle of life”.

The primary difference in the two stories is that Kimba is involved with human civilization, and how they are incorporated into finding ones place in the world. Although this is a major contrast in The Lion King's storyline when compared to Kimba, the intentions of the animals in each story are very similar.

Figure 4: An apparition of Kimba's father in the sky

Figure 5: An apparition of Simba's father in the sky

These resemblances show evidence this could potentially be a legal matter. Though there were lawsuits or legal action, The Lion King was met with great opposition in Japan. Those familiar with Kimba (a far greater amount than in the US) were outraged at the use of a beloved animators creations. Although as time went on with no progress, the protests decreased until it was accepted. The most powerful form of protest came when a petition with an attached letter was sent to Disney signed by 488 people, 82 of whom were part of the Japanese animation community. The letter is as follows,

· Similarities between The Lion King and Jungle Emperor cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence;

· As a Japanese who respects Walt Disney, she was saddened by such similarities;

· Tezuka's work represents Japanese culture and, therefore, she did not wish anyone to undermine its value; and

· It would have been mutually beneficial to Tezuka and Disney if the movie had expressed its indebtedness to Jungle Emperor and Tezuka.

Figure 6: Osamu Tezuka

Figure 7: Walt Disney

         This amount of opposition from those who are so familiar with one of their peers work says something about the questionable content comparisons mentioned above. While the community of Japanese animators are enraged by these seemingly stolen ideas, Tezuka’s best friends and heirs to the rights of his works deny that this is the case. In an interview with Yoshihiro Shimizu (a close friend and heir to Tezuka’s works), Shimizu is asked a series of questions pertaining to the originality of The Lion King. First the is asked of the rumor that Disney paid the owners Kimba The White Lion to keep quiet about the apparent copyright infringement with “hush money” or otherwise known as a bribe to maintain silence towards the issue. He bluntly responds, “Zero”, Making a “O” with his fingers. After reflecting on the two works separately he states, “We think it’s a totally different story. Kimba is part human, part animal. The Lion King is just an animal. Of course, we were urged to sue Disney by some in our industry. But we’re a small, weak, company. It wouldn’t be worth it anyway. We received letters from lawyers in places like Iowa and Hawaii, offering to take up the case.” He then chuckles and blurts, “Disney’s lawyers are among the top twenty in the world!” (K, 45)  (When mentioning Kimba as being “part human” in the above statement, Shimizu does not mean physically, but rather, in the spiritual sense of being able to relate to humans.) Kelts then delves into the friendship Disney and Tezuka had, as well as the great amount of respect each held for each other dating back to the 1960’s, “Tezuka met his hero, Walt Disney, at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The American allegedly told Tezuka that he admired Astro Boy and wanted to create something like it. A framed photograph of the two shaking hands still hangs in the entranceway of the Tezuka home.” (K, 44) To further this notion of a strong admiration between the tow, Shimizu states, “If Tezuka were alive when The Lion King was released, and if he knew about even the rumor that Disney might have copied elements of his work, he would have been proud. (K, 45) As a kind of icing to the cake, during the interview with Shimizu, Shimizu references an old Tezuka sketchbook in an instant recalled by Kelts, “Still smiling, he excuses himself, and then returns with two handsome hardbacks featuring Bambi and Snow White. He leafs through them, showing me some of the pages. The illustrations are definitely Disney-like, but something about the lines is a bit off—a little shakier, perhaps, less assured, but also more complex. Tezuka loved the Disney stories and illustrations so much, he copied them line for line—not from comic books, but by going to the movie theater and sitting with his sketch pad through several showings of the Disney films. The books he produced were originally sold on the streets of Japan in the 1950s, without Disney’s knowledge or permission.” It would seem the two mutually shared each other as creative influences, in essence copying one another’s works, with no copyright worries. Yet Kelts states shortly after that Disney now collects a fifty percent cut of each reprinted sketchbook sold. This aside, Tezuka was known for taking incredibly low offers for his works even though his works were the most sought after for Japanese television in the 1960’s. This is due to his desire to spread his works to as many viewers possible. He easily managed the low payroll due to being born into a financially favorable situation so money was of no real issue. When asked what Tezuka would have thought about The Lion King being regarded as a Kimba inspired work, Shimizu states, “If Tezuka were alive when Lion King was released,” he concludes, “and if he knew about even the rumor that Disney might have copied elements of his work, he would have been proud.” (K, 45)

            Although the creative devices employed in the animation and character designs prove to be uncannily similar in many aspects, the current heirs to Tezuka’s works have opted to respect the relationship the two animators had for each other and the presumed wishes of the now deceased Tezuka. From an enraged community of animators, to numerous lawyers begging to be their representation in a lawsuit, the pride held in the original animation practices employed in Kimba The White Lion, curbs the appeal that any lawsuit offers.


References:

Kelts, Roland. Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Print.

Kuwahara, Yasue. "Japanese Culture and Popular Consciousness: Disney's The Lion King vs. Tezuka's Jungle Emperor." The Journal of Popular Culture 31.1 (1997): 37-48. Print.

Kimba Photos 1-4. Photograph. Www.butterfunk.com. 1965. Web.

Lk_screengrab_111.jpg. Photograph. Mylionking.com. 1994. Web.

Lk_screengrab_164.jpg. Photograph. Mylionking.cpm. 1994. Web.

Lk_screengrab_215.jpg. Photograph. Mylionking.com. 1994. Web.

Lk_screengrab_95.jpg. Photograph. Mylionking.com. 1994. Web. 

Osamu Tezuka. Photograph. Examiner.com. 13 Nov. 2009. Web. <http://www.examiner.com/anime-and-manga-in-national/dc-s-freer-and-sackler-galleries-osamu-tezuka-month>.

 Walt Disney. Photograph. Disneydreaming.com. 5 Dec. 2009. Web. <http://www.disneydreaming.com/2009/12/05/walt-disneys-birthday-is-today-happy-birthday-walt/>.

 Yasumoto, Seiko. From Whence Does Popular Culture Emanate and How is it Remade? Junguru Or Lion King? Tech. Sydney, Australia: Seiko Yasumoto, 2008. Print.