10 Disney Movies You Didn’t Know Were Shameless Rip-Offs
8. Lady and the Tramp
Whilst the story of Lady and the Tramp doesnt come directly from another source there are certain similarities between it and other sources that influenced Disney and his team. The origins of the film come from Joe Grant, a story-man working for the animation company in 1937. His idea was based on his own dog, Lady who was pushed aside in the affection of her owners when they had their first child. Unsatisfied with the development of the story Walt Disney bought the rights to Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog a short story published in Cosmopolitan magazine written by Ward Greene. Further outside influence came when Spanish writer Maria Lejarraga sent in a number of scripts to Disney Animation Studios. These were returned but she noted publicly that there were a lot of similarities between her texts and the events in the finished film although Disney had replaced her character of Vivianna the cat with an American Cocker Spaniel named Lady.