00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Mouse House movies
00:09that cause the most legal drama.
00:28All these special effects weren't so unique after all.
00:30The case is a bit complicated though, so try and stay with us.
00:33In 2017, VFX firm Riordan LLC claimed their cutting-edge facial capture technology had
00:39been stolen by rival companies.
00:41They then argued Disney purposefully contracted the plagiarised software in order to save money
00:46on special effects.
00:53As a result, Riordan felt entitled to a portion of the profits for the affected films.
00:58Considering Avengers Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy and Beauty and the Beast made
01:01over $3 billion combined, Disney wasn't eager to share the wealth.
01:06Their lawyers got on it, and the case was settled behind closed doors in 2024.
01:12Everyone loves Olaf, he's cute, funny, optimistic.
01:26And also the face of one of Disney's chilliest lawsuits.
01:29And all before Frozen even hit theatres.
01:31The film's trailer alone held enough evidence for filmmaker Kelly Wilson to argue copyright
01:36infringement.
01:37She was convinced Disney used her short film, The Snowman, as an influence for Olaf.
01:47The Mouse House tried to let it go, but unfortunately, it didn't work as well in the courtroom as
01:52it did for Elsa.
01:53After two failed attempts to get the case thrown out, the movie studio finally settled with
01:57Wilson in an undisclosed deal in 2015.
02:00Talk about a frosty finale.
02:14How do you file a defamation suit for a movie about cartoon animals?
02:17Easy.
02:18You file it on behalf of the animals themselves.
02:20Seriously.
02:21Soon after The Lion King's debut in 1994, a biologist allegedly raised concerns over the
02:26film's unflattering portrayal of hyenas.
02:37They felt the carnivore's vilification would negatively affect their public perception and
02:41harm conservation efforts.
02:43This wasn't just a passing thought, either.
02:45They went all the way to the courts with this.
02:48While the case didn't go forward, meeting the burden of proof when representing a fictional
02:52animal is hard.
02:53It does make you think, maybe Shenzi, Banzai and Ed got the short end of the stick.
03:07The world met Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and the rest of the Animal Kingdom in 2016's hit animated
03:13film.
03:14But, if screenwriter Gary Goldman is to be believed, Disney had been kicking around the
03:17idea for Zootopia years before that.
03:20Specifically, kicking it around with him.
03:22Goldman went in front of a judge, asserting he'd previously pitched a version of Zootopia
03:26to Disney, and that they'd stolen the ideas to make their own version.
03:37Goldman cited themes, character designs and even actual dialogue that seemed to be lifted
03:41directly from his work.
03:43However, the judge was not convinced, and dismissed the case in 2017.
04:01Over two decades after his death, Peter Cushing returned to the galaxy far, far away through
04:05the power of next-gen CGI.
04:07While Disney reportedly earned the blessing of Cushing's estate, there was another party
04:23involved, Tybear Film Studios.
04:25The company was run by one of the actor's old friends, Kevin Francis.
04:28He produced a contract from the 90s, purportedly giving him a say in the use of Cushing's likeness.
04:34Despite the increasingly complex situation surrounding the use of CGI doubles, a London judge found
04:39enough evidence to send the case to trial.
04:54Emotions were high after this movie came out, and we don't mean the ones in Riley's head.
04:58After seeing the way Inside Out made us all cry, Denise Daniels submitted a formal lawsuit
05:02contending Disney had ripped off her idea.
05:12It was a kid's show about, you guessed it, anthropomorphic emotions.
05:16She pitched the series to multiple Disney executives in the late 2000s, and given that Inside Out
05:20began early pre-production in 2009, the timeline made sense, not that it mattered to the courts.
05:26They found Daniels' ideas too vague to warrant any kind of patent protection, and dismissed
05:31the case soon after.
05:48At this point, it's a tale as old as time.
05:51Writers pitch a script to Disney, they pass, and then make a film with eerie similarities
05:54to the abandoned idea.
05:55What's more, this is literally a franchise about pirates.
05:59It's only natural there's some double-crossing going on.
06:03Of note, this case didn't just involve the first film.
06:10No, A. Lee Alfred II and E. Ezekiel Martinez Jr felt their ideas were sprinkled throughout
06:16all of the billion-dollar franchise.
06:17After five long years of legal back and forth, the case settled for an undisclosed amount in
06:232022.
06:24But something tells us these writers got their fair share of the buried treasure.
06:31Not even music is safe from the dreaded threat of copyright.
06:43Some things never change.
06:44Ironically, that's also the name of the song in question.
06:47Songwriter Daniel Grigson believed Frozen 2's toe-tapping opener shared a few too many similarities
06:53with his own single, 1999's That Girl.
07:08He pointed specifically to the chorus, melody, and chord progression.
07:12While there is an undeniable resemblance, Grigson failed to meet the burden of proof in the actual
07:16courtroom.
07:17And the judge ended up throwing the case out.
07:20Still, that's two for two on Frozen films going to court.
07:23Fingers crossed that Frozen 3 fares better.
07:25Then again, some things really don't change.
07:43If Moana thought saving her island was hard, now she's up against a $10 billion lawsuit.
07:48Yeah, you heard that right.
07:50Billion.
07:51With a B.
07:52It has a high price tag, because this suit goes all the way back to Moana's origins.
08:00Animator Buck Woodall says he pitched a story about a surfer on a Polynesian island back in
08:05the 2000s, and by using vast portions of his work for the Princess film, the company kept
08:10him out of billions in potential profit.
08:13Not just from the movie's box office, but also the lucrative merchandising.
08:17Woodall has a lot to gain here, but that's also why Disney won't be making it easy for
08:20him.
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08:40After years on the company's good side, Scarlett Johansson finally put her foot down when Disney
08:55released Black Widow in theatres and on streaming at the same time.
08:59The actor cited a breach in her contract, guaranteeing an exclusive theatrical window.
09:03She also claimed the release strategy undercut the movie's box office, robbing her of lucrative
09:08bonuses.
09:12Disney tried to save face by blaming the low theatre attendance on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
09:17but the judge didn't buy it, and the case was resolved in Johansson's favour.
09:22While the settlement number has never been officially released, rumours put it in the range of $40
09:26million.
09:27Lesson learned, hell hath no fury like an Avenger scorned.
09:33So, which of these lawsuits deserves an appeal?
09:41Let us know what you think in the comments below.
09:48Come to me!
09:49Look at me!
09:51Come to me!
09:53Come to me!
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