Interview with Roger Allers

[SimbasGuard]

I believe it is a coincidence also, it's just that every character in Lion King has a similar counterpart in Kimba The White Lion. There is a particularly strong resemblance between Scar and Claw (or depending on which version a Kimba you see. Bubu/Jamar). That is why so many people can't let go (no Frozen reference intended). of the Idea that Lion King ripped off Kimba.

[Elton John]

There's also the fact that osamu tezuka and walt disney have met, and from what i have heard is that disney tried to aqcuire the dubbing rights to kimba. I know the first part is true but as for the second part....dunno really.

I have also heard that tezuka wanted disney to do an adaptation of kimba.

It's mostly just a bunch of speculation. the tezuka household has denied taking hush money from disney. they aren't going to sue because disney lawyers are some of the best in the world.

[SimbasGuard]

I haven't heard that Disney had wanted the dubbing rights to Kimba, the RUMOR was that Disney tried to buy Kimba in the 1980's. I doubt that RUMOR because it came out in the wake of The Lion King/Kimba controversy.

As for Tezuka wanting Disney to do an adaption of Kimba, well that is Intriguing thought, but I think if that was the case it would have been likely to happen being that both men knew each other. Although I'm sure deals in the entertainment industry have to do with much more than who knows who.

One reason I heard (and CAN NOT validate) is the reason Tezuka Productions didn't sue Disney is because Tezuka's widow said, and I am paraphrasing here (assuming she actually said anything like this at all):
If Disney was inspired by Jungle Emperor when they created The Lion King my husband would have been flattered not offended.

[TheLionPrince]

Since this topic became active, I decided to research more into the Kimba/Simba controversy fiasco. An interview with Kimba producer Fred Ladd with Animation World Network in 1996 reveals this statement:

"In 1965," Ladd recalls, "Tezuka's company came out with its first color production, Jungle Taitei (Jungle Emperor), which became Kimba, the White Lion and was again handled by NBC. (In the original show, the lion was called Leo; we almost called him Simba, but Kimba was a unique word, Simba was not.)

The last sentence may not be in quotes, but it confirms the mindset the NBC production team had as they were producing the American dub.

One thing that irks me about the plagarism accusations is that nobody brings up the similarities kimba has to bambi.

The design of kimba is very similar to bambi, some of the story elements of kimba are similar to bambi and how bambi is royalty as well.

I recall mentioning it several times on and off the forum that one reason Jungle Emperor Leo and The Lion King have similarities is because they were inspired by Bambi. Osamu Tezuka was greatly inspired by Disney animation, and most reliable sources state that Tezuka watched Bambi over 80 times. Lion King co-screenwriter Irene Mecchi described the film by the time she signed to work on it as "Bambi in Africa".

One reason I heard (and CAN NOT validate) is the reason Tezuka Productions didn't sue Disney is because Tezuka's widow said, and I am paraphrasing here (assuming she actually said anything like this at all):
If Disney was inspired by Jungle Emperor when they created The Lion King my husband would have been flatted not offended.

Flattered, you mean. A lot of websites including lionking.org claim his widow would have flattered at the similarities, though more newspaper sources report this:

Yet not everyone who admires Mr. Tezuka is upset. Takayuki Matsutani, president of Tezuka Productions in Tokyo, notes the similarities and says they have been much discussed.

"If Disney took hints from 'The Jungle Emperor,' our founder, the late Osamu Tezuka, would be very pleased by it," he says. "Rather than filing a claim, we would be very happy to know that Disney people saw Tezuka's work. On the whole, we think 'Lion King' is absolutely different from 'Jungle Emperor' and is Disney's original work."

Apparently, Tezuka's daughter claimed her late father would be flattered, and won't pursue a lawsuit:

Forty-two professional cartoonists and 116 other fans of Osamu Tezuka, the country's most famous animator, have signed a letter of complaint to Disney. It claims that The Lion King borrows heavily without acknowledgement from Tezuka's Janguru Taitei (Jungle Emperor) of the 1950s.

But the company that Tezuka founded before his death in 1989 has said it has no plans to sue Disney. The cartoonist's daughter, Rumiko, said: 'My father would have been pleased if his work influenced Disney. So we wouldn't think about a lawsuit at all.'

[SimbasGuard]

Wow! Once again you have done amazing research. I didn't know there were actual facts to disprove/prove all the rumors I've heard. If The President of Tezuka productions said that they don't consider Lion King to be a rip-off of Jungle Emperor that should end the controversy right there.
As For Kimba almost being named Simba Fred Ladd Stated the same thing in one of the special features of the Kimba The White Lion Ultra Edition Box Set DVD's.
Also thanks for catching my typo I fixed it now.

[Elton John]

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6272316

A recent huffington post article on the whole thing.

Very balanced and does bring up a few of the things the lion prince mentioned along with some other snippits of info.