Osamu Tezuka, adapted from his own manga which was first published in 1950. I never heard anything or saw anything about his work,” screenwriter Linda Woolverton told the San Francisco Chronicle.ĭisney has not yet faced any legal consequences. The story and characters were created by Dr. “This is the first I’ve heard of Kimba or Tezuka. “I know for a fact that has never been discussed as long as I’ve been on the project.” “Frankly, I’m not familiar with ,” co-director Rob Minkoff told the Times. However, when journalists approached Disney in 1994 regarding the similarities between The Lion King and Tezuka anime series, Disney claimed they had “never heard of it”. Tzeuka is often referred to as the ‘Walt Disney of Japan’ and even created The Jungle Emperor for English-speaking audiences for NBC in the 1980s. So I kept telling everyone I was going to play Kimba,” he said at the time. “I thought meant Kimba, who was a white lion on TV when I was a little kid. Matthew Broderick, who voiced grown-up Simba, had even referenced Kimba when he was cast. In The Lion King, the lion villain is named Scar, whilst Kimba’s nemesis is called Claw. The adventures of a brave and optimistic little white lion, moral leader for good animals in a jungle surrounded by dangers. The TV Kimba is a simplification of the novel. The show came from Japan, where it began as a famous 1950s childrens comic-art novel, Jungulu Taitei King of the Jungle by Osamu Tesuka, who was already popular for his Astro Boy character. Now that The Lion King has been released as a live-action remake, plagiarism claims are resurfacing.īoth cartoons feature a young lion cub in Africa whose father is murdered. A one-of-a-kind lost clip from Osamu Tezuka's Kimba the White Lion (1960's).According to : 'As far as I know, I am the only one IN THE WORLD wh. Kimba the White Lion: With Yvonne Murray, Sonia Owens, Gorô Naya, Junji Chiba. Kimba, the White Lion was one of the most popular TV cartoons of the late 1960s. When The Lion King was originally released in 1994, critics drew similarities to K imba the White Lion -a 1960s Japanese anime series created by Osamu Tezuka. THR reports that Disney is being accused of plagiarizing Japanese cartoon K imba the White Lion in The Lion King. Anime & Manga Japan News United States 0 Commentsĭisney claims they had 'never heard of it'

Kimba the white lion cartoon