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Writer Sues Disney for Copying His Idea for Zootopia

Disney has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that its Oscar-winning animated film Zootopia was copied from the work of writer Gary L. Goldman. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the complaint was filed Tuesday in California federal court and comes from Esplanade Productions, Inc., which is being represented by the prominent law firm of Quinn Emanuel. 

In the lawsuit, Esplanade alleges that Goldman pitched Disney his Zootopia franchise in 2000 and 2009, which included a live-action component called Looney and an animated component called Zootopia

He also reportedly provided a treatment, a synopsis, character descriptions, character illustrations, and other materials. 

However, Disney told him they were not interested in producing the project before releasing a near-identical film in 2016. “They copied Goldman’s themes, settings, plot, characters, and dialogue--some virtually verbatim,” the complaint continues.

Source: Hollywood Reporter