Disney Facing Lawsuit Over Zootopia

Alleged copyright and plagiarism breach


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Disney could be facing a pretty hefty lawsuit over claims the animation company stole the for award-winning Zootopia from a Hollywood great.

It's been revealed via US media that the Oscar-winning flick follows the same premise as a script written by producer and screenwriter Gary Goldman.

Goldman claims he pitched the idea for the movie - which is even understood to be called Zootopia - several times over the years, but was always knocked back by the production company.

The federal suit intends to rely on documents dated between 2000 and 2009, that shows Goldman's company Esplanade Productions, in conversation with Disney over the film.

Goldman is claiming that Disney breached copyright restriction, implied-in-fact contracts and public confidence when it produced the film without his knowledge. His lawyers aim to prove that this constitutes an example of unfair competition.

The suit alleges that the themes, characters and even the dialogue were copied from the original script without his knowledge.

Since its release last year, Zootopia has become one of Disney's highest grossing pictures, and even won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature this year.

Definitely an interesting case to watch as it unfolds.

22 March 2017




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