It has drawn "considerable press attention," according to Daniher, who says a
San Francisco Magazine piece sparked Pixar's attention and the company reached out about renting her vehicle for a special event in September 2018. She says she was told "the Vanicorn would be used for an event limited to 'a one day music festival/activity day for Pixar employees and families' and that the Vanicorn 'would just be a show piece and not used in any way other than a visual prop.'"
On May 31, 2019, Daniher discovered Pixar was producing
Onward, a tale of two blue elves trying to reunite with their dead father who travel around in a vehicle that looks suspiciously like the Vanicorn. She posted the two vans on Instagram and wrote, "WOW! Sooo, do y’all think Pixar Disney stole the Vanicorn for their movie #onward ????"
On June 3, she posted the image again with this caption: "Well, ! The producer of 'Onward' just called me. She wanted to know HOW I’M FEELING...(?!) and to apologize.... she also wanted to tell me that they rented my van without disclosing their full intentions, or plans, and she’s sorry for that too."
In the complaint, Daniher says Rae apologized and admitted they intentionally didn't inform her that they intended to use the Vanicorn as a character in Onward because, at the time, the film didn't have a title and without a title they couldn't have her sign a non-disclosure agreement.
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