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:
[quote="
Animation World News"]"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.)[/quote]
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.
[quote="Elton John"]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.[/quote]
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".
[quote="SimbasGuard"]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.[/quote]
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:
[quote="
The Baltimore Sun"]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."[/quote]
Apparently, Tezuka's daughter claimed her late father would be flattered, and won't pursue a lawsuit:
[quote="
The Independent"]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.'[/quote]