RantCrush Top 5: March 22, 2017

In a lawsuit filed yesterday, production company Esplanade Productions accused Disney of plagiarism. Writer Gary L. Goldman allegedly pitched his idea for “Zootopia” twice to Disney, complete with illustrations and names for the animated characters. According to the lawsuit, Disney blew him off but later stole the idea and produced the movie without compensating Goldman. Goldman was at the time working with Esplanade and pitching the idea on behalf of the production company. He also wrote “Total Recall” and produced “Minority Report.”

According to the suit, Disney also ripped off other writers’ work on movies like “The Lion King,” “Toy Story,” “Monsters Inc.,” and “Up,” among others. A Disney spokesperson called the accusations “patently false” and said that the company is ready to fight back in court.

“you want to be an elephant when you grow up, you be an elephant” – the #Zootopia lawsuit against #Disney is the best. pic.twitter.com/kOahZIKuJv

— Theron Mohamed (@Theron_Mohamed) March 22, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.