| Ian Dunn
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| 904938. Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:59 am |
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I would argue that it is not based on Hamlet as stated in "The Immortal Bard", but based on (or plagiarised, from Kimba The White Lion, a Japanese series created by "The Godfather of Anime" Osamu Tezuka.
When The Lion King came out similarities were pointed out between the two. Not only is there the similarity in the names of Kimba and Simba (which is Swahili for “lion”), but Kimba is helped by a mandrill and a parrot-like bird, and has an evil lion adversary who is assisted by bumbling hyena minions.
According to The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy, "Disney representatives made the unlikely assertion that the entire production staff of The Lion King was unaware of the Tezuka original (including co-director Roger Allers, who, by Disney's own admission, had spent two years in Tokyo working on Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland)." (p. 338-339)
Also, as a joke in Clements' book Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade, in the index it says: "Kimba, see Simba". When you look Simba up it says: "Simba, see Kimba".
This incident is also referenced in The Simpsons. |
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| CB27
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| 904946. Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:10 am |
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I think this is one of those where there is a bit of both.
No doubt there are similarities between some of the animation and a few individual scenes between the White Lion and Lion King, but in terms of the storyline they are very different. As for the use of the name Simba, I kind of think Kimba was probably originally used as either a mistranslation or similar sounding name to the Swahili word anyway :)
I think the animation itself can said to be inspired at times by the White Lion, but the story line itself shows heavy influences from Hamlet. |
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| Ian Dunn
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| 904949. Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:16 am |
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Well, with regards to the name, Kimba was originally called Leo in the manga. However, when it was taken to the USA in the 1960s, the name was not allowed because that was also the name of the MGM lion.
"Simba" was a suggestion mentioned at the time, but according to The Anime Encyclopedia Simba, "was also rejected on the account of a number of African-American trademark applications using the Simba name, which the producers could not be bothered to sort through in search of loopholes and potential infringements. The coincidence would return to haunt the franchise in the 1990s." |
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| nitwit02
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| 905142. Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:41 pm |
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| Simba was the name of a mid 50s film starring Dirk Bogarde and dealt with the Mau Mau theme. |
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| dr.bob
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| 905491. Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:03 am |
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| Ian Dunn wrote: | | I would argue that it is not based on Hamlet as stated in "The Immortal Bard", but based on (or plagiarised, from Kimba The White Lion, a Japanese series created by "The Godfather of Anime" Osamu Tezuka. |
It's been mentioned in the Green Room thread, but I'll add a note here.
What was actually said was:
| Quote: | Sue: Is Cats based on Hamlet?
Stephen: No. But, odd as it sounds, there is a stage musical playing in London at the moment based on Hamlet.
Sue: Is it "Hamlet! The Musical"?
Stephen: No. There is "Hamlet! The Musical", but this is a big West End musical based on a big movie that is the story of Hamlet. |
So, not only was Stephen referring to the story rather than the animation, but he was also referring to the musical, not the animated film. |
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| CasandraKey
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| 932761. Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:35 am |
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| Actually, all Disney cartoons were based on some books/historical facts/myths etc. Walt and his crew haven't invented a single original script. So, I'm not surprised. |
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| swot
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| 932770. Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:09 am |
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| Does anyone smell meat? |
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| djgordy
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| 932778. Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:53 am |
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| CasandraKey wrote: | | Actually, all Disney cartoons were based on some books/historical facts/myths etc. Walt and his crew haven't invented a single original script. So, I'm not surprised. |
It is clearly not true that all Disney cartoons were based on some books/historical facts, myths etc. "Steamboat Willie " certainly wasn't. Presumably you meant "all Disney full length cartoon feature films were based on..."; but "Fantasia" wasn't. That was inspired by the music but the conceptions behind the imagery were original, at least in the main as I can't recall the entire film off the top of my head.
Also, since 2006 Pixar has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney so "Up", "Wall-E" etc, are Disney cartoons which are not based on pre-existing material.
I would also point out that Shakespeare only wrote one play, "The Tempest", which was not based on pre-existing material so Walt and his Crew are in good company. "Hamlet" itself is well documented as to its sources; which I have mentioned before, I believe, so I won't bore myself by doing it again. |
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| Jenny
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| 932799. Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:28 am |
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| Meat was not only smelled but removed, and I'm afraid the poster will no longer be sharing his/her spiced pork products with us. |
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