Was ‘The Lion King’ Copied From A Japanese Cartoon? Here’s The Real Story

Ever since “The Lion King“ debuted a little more than 20 years ago, everything the light touches has been its kingdom. The movie is one of the most cherished Disney films of all time, it was turned into the most successful musical ever and its soundtrack was Disney’s most decorated until “Frozen” came along. (Just let it go, “Lion King” fans.)

But despite its massive success, a huge controversy has always dogged the film: “Kimba, the White Lion.”

“I can say there is absolutely no inspiration from ‘Kimba,’” animator Tom Sito told HuffPost Entertainment. Sito’s resume includes classic Disney films such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and, of course, “The Lion King,” to name a few. “I mean the artists working on the film, if they grew up in the ‘60s, they probably saw ‘Kimba.’ I mean, I watched ‘Kimba’ when I was a kid in the ‘60s, and I think in the recesses of my memory we’re aware of it, but I don’t think anybody consciously thought, ‘Let’s rip off ‘Kimba.’”

The “Kimba” Controversy

Following animated classics like “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty and the Beast,” (1991) and “Aladdin” (1992), “The Lion King“ was billed as Disney’s first big animated feature that wasn’t a retelling of a fairytale or previous story. And while the film took a lot of inspiration from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” its originality was still praised by critics and audiences.

Not everyone was impressed, though.

After the movie’s release, many were shocked by its similarities to a Japanese-created American television cartoon series called “Kimba, the White Lion.” That cartoon, about African wildlife, began airing in the 1960s and was based off of a Manga comic called “Jungle Emperor Leo“ by animator Osamu Tezuka.

Disney and the filmmakers quickly denied any influence.

The company’s stance was that those involved with the film had no knowledge of “Kimba” or Tezuka. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “The Lion King” co-director Rob Minkoff said, “Frankly, I’m not familiar with [the TV series],” in reference to the controversy. He also added that he and co-director Roger Allers first learned about the debate on a trip to Japan to promote the movie.

But as author Madhavi Sunder pointed out, Allers actually worked as an animator in Japan in the 1980s, a place where “Jungle Emperor” was widely seen, and its creator, Tezuka, is known as Japan’s Walt Disney.

In a recent interview with Fumettologica, Allers said, “I could certainly understand Kimba’s creators feeling angry if they felt we had stolen ideas from them. If I had been inspired by ‘Kimba’ I would certainly acknowledge my inspiration.”

Minkoff and Allers did not respond to requests for further comment from HuffPost Entertainment.

Disney’s denial of any influence inspired petitions and protests from animators and fans alike who believed “Kimba” should have been acknowledged. Well-known Japanese cartoonist Machiko Satonaka, who says she was told by the company that “Disney has never heard of ‘Jungle Emperor’ or ‘Kimba, the White Lion,’” wrote an open letter to the studio that was signed by hundreds of animation professionals. “The Simpsons“ even parodied the controversy in a 1995 episode by having a lion appear in the clouds to say, “You must avenge my death, Kimba … I mean, Simba.”

Though Disney seems to hold one firm opinion on the Simba vs. Kimba debate, actor Matthew Broderick — who voiced Simba — admitted he was initially confused about his role. “I thought he meant Kimba, who was a white lion in a cartoon when I was a little kid,” Broderick had said in a 1994 interview about his casting.

And while the projects differ in their storylines — with the Japanese cartoon exploring the relationship between humans and animals — there are some visual similarities between the two.

Many also reference similarities in the characters as proof of a connection. In addition to the main characters having extremely similar names — Kimba and Simba, respectively (Kimba is known as Leo in “Jungle Emperor”) — there is also a sage baboon, bumbling hyenas, a young lioness love-interest, a Zazu-like bird and an evil lion with an eye ailment. His name is Claw.

The Real Story

In an interview with HuffPost Entertainment, Sito said “Kimba” did not serve as source material for the film. But his comments confirm that at least some people working on the project had seen the cartoons and comics before, which is contrary to the initial reported corporate stance that the filmmakers were unaware of “Kimba” or Tezuka. (In a 1994 interview, Minkoff did not rule out the possibility that Tezuka was discussed in the years prior to his arrival on the project.)

However, in comments made to HuffPost, “Lion King” producer Charlie Fink maintains that “Kimba” was not discussed at all, saying, “‘Lion King’ was based on ‘Bambi’ with a touch of ‘Hamlet,’ but at the same time it was totally original and internal to Disney. We never even heard of any of these until after the movie opened.”

According to Sito, filmmakers first learned about similarities between the projects late in the production process, with more than half the film having been completed.

“One of the animators found a Manga comic book of Kimba’s with a setup that kind of looked like Pride Rock, and I remember he was like showing it to us, and I was like, ‘Wow, that is really close to ours, yeah.’ But I think it was never more than an amusing coincidence,” said Sito.

Other filmmakers on the project confirm Sito’s comments. In 1997,Mark Kausler, who has a story credit on the film, told author Fred Patten that he had watched “Kimba” as a kid, but during the production process the animators were focused on creating a story that was more like “Bambi” set in Africa without the “animals versus man” theme:

In the end, it all comes full circle.

Even with its similarities to “The Lion King,” Tezuka’s work has clear differences. “Kimba is much more exotic. You know, Kimba gets up on two feet and punches other animals in the mouth, gives them a knuckle sandwich, you know, and our lions don’t really do that,” Sito noted.

In addition to “Kimba” having more fantastical plots and anthropomorphic traits in the characters, the biggest contrast between the two projects is without a doubt the relationship between animals and humans, which stems from the original inspiration for “Kimba”: Walt Disney’s “Bambi.”

Original Article By: Bill Bradley 1/27/15

Hollow Tip's Thoughts

Say it Ain’t So

By: Hollow Tip (@hollowtiptalks) cabdofficial.com

Every generation believes they are living in the era of originality...that is until you hear a “familiar” track on your favorite oldies station. You turn up the volume and prepare to sing your heart out...only to realize the words you were preparing to belt out are wrong. Or better yet they may be right but someone else has jumped on the track......ah yes I remember it well. Being a woman in her mid 30s has blessed me with the opportunity to see an abundant amount of rip offs in my life. From heavily sampled singles commanding me to “take that take that” or an arrogant track yelling for “Mr. West” to wake up. The cycle continues with this younger generation believing they came up with the running man in 2016 (Ill just sit that there).  Nevertheless, color me surprised when I found out that my childhood-animated classic fell into this forbidden category as well.

None other than The Lion King aka The Lying King! Sadly my invitation to this controversy was lost in the mail a few years ago. Apparently the highly praised animation appears to have sampled an original track called Kimba: The White King ....ain’t that a b****!  Similar accusations have always plagued various Disney classics, but they usually hold no weight (or receive “STFU money” in court) But the proof is in the pudding with this one. From the colorful images, the action scenes, the character traits, creep squad villains....hell even the hair cuts! The entire movie looks like a Bad Boy greatest hits album. Now I am a firm believer in every original idea having some assistance, but the ultimate slap in the face is Disney claiming at one point that they have never heard of Kimba. This is the equivalent of Neyo and Chris Brown saying their dance moves are authentic ...stop it!  

While no one is suggesting that Kimba & Simba battle it out in a rap cypher; Disney’s current status of animation fat cat should not make it immune to giving credit where it is due.

Buy our book here: Cigarettes & Bad Decisions, The S*** I Wish I'd Known

Disclaimer:

All data and information provided on this site is for entertainment purposes only. Brickhouse Productions LLC makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.