I believe what you're referring to is "Jungle Emperor - Kimba the White Lion" which was a 1960's Japanese cartoon. When "Lion King" was released, several of Kimba's animators sent a petition requesting that Disney acknowledge the source material. I don't believe they ever did. If I recall correctly, Kimba's father was killed and Kimba's mother was shipped to a zoo where Kimba grew up learning about harmony in nature and peace. So he brings those lessons back to the African jungle with him.
Most Disney animated features are not original...
Snow White - faerie tale by Brothers Grimm
Pinocchio - story by Collodi
Dumbo - children's book by Helen Aberson
Bambi - children's book by Felix Salten
Cinderella - French folk myth "Cendrillon" - popularized by Perrault (Mother Goose Tales)
Alice in Wonderland - children's book by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan - children's book by J.M. Barrie
Lady & the Tramp - ? maybe a Disney original?
Sleeping Beauty - French folk myth "Belle au Bois Dormant" - popularized by Perrault (Mother Goose Tales)
101 Dalmatians - children's book by Dodie Smith
The Sword and the Stone - based on the Legends of King Arthur - Knights of the Round Table, Excalibur, Camelot etc.
Jungle Book - based on Rudyard Kipling's stories
Aristocats - ? maybe a Disney original?
Robin Hood - English folk tale/myth
Winnie the Pooh - children's stories by A.A. Milne
The Rescuers - children's novel by Margery Sharp
The Fox and the Hound - Daniel Mannix novel
The Black Cauldron - series of books by Lloyd Alexander "Chronicles of Prydain"
Great Mouse Detective - based on Sherlock Holmes books
Oliver & Company - based on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Little Mermaid - faerie tale by Hans Christian Anderson
Beauty & the Beast - traditional faerie tale popularized by Jeanne Marie LaPrince de Beaumont
Aladdin - ancient Arabic tale - 1001 Nights
Pocahontas - based on the true story of a native American woman
Hunchback of Notre Dame - French novel by Victor Hugo
Hercules - based on Greco-Roman myth
Mulan - based on a traditional Chinese legend Hua Mulan
Tarzan - books by Edgar Rice Burroughs
