Was Idea for Lion King Stolen??

[Cosmo]

Hi everyone-
Just came across this today and did a search on the forums to see if it has already been posted but didn't find anything (if it has, please don't flame me, my fragile ego couldn't take it)

This website states that the idea for the Lion King was stolen from a Japanese cartoon.

http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm

Anyone hear of this before?

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

I heard this exact statement about a million times before on totally different films... (not just TLK)

 

[firedancer2000]

Your not the first one to hear about the lion King idea. Some people said that the idea for Lion King was stolen from a Japanese anime called, "Kimba the White Lion". I haven't seen it myself, but I heard that storyplot for "Kimba" and "Lion King" were very similer.

 

[Legacy]

Whatever, it's all Hamlet to me.

 

[speck76]

Are ANY ideas really original anymore?......I think the world is out of new ideas. We don't teach our children to use their imaginations, to be creative...some people even discourage eccentric, against the norm ideas.....

 

[FutureCEO]

People think everything was their idea first and nobody can possibly think of that. For everything not about this

 

[speck76]

I know a girl who claims she thought of Windex Wipes before they ever came out.....it's like, ok, and you were going to/did what with that idea?

 

[Bairstow]

Yes, the concept, plot, and almost all the character designs for The Lion King were taken directly from Osamu Tezuka's "Kimba the White Lion." Absolutely, positively, without a doubt. Old news.

 

[firedancer2000]

I have to remember to see "Kimba". As an anime fan, I'm surprised that I haven't seen it yet. Besides, the creator's name sounds familar. Osamu Tezuka... wasn't he the guy who wrote "Astro Boy?"

 

[tomm4004]

Although Disney vehemently denies it I think it's been generally accepted by many fans. Ironic that it was Disney's first animated feature not based on source material!

Interesting, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've been to Tokyo DL a couple times and I've never seen a reference to the Lion King. No shows, no appearances, etc. Could it be that Disney is not allowed to use it in Japan because it is Kimba's home country? Or because they know they'll get sued in Japanese courts?