10 Times Disney Blatantly Stole From Other Movies

2. The Lion King (Kimba The White Lion)

There's perhaps no more egregious example of Disney straight-up stealing a concept from an outside source than The Lion King. While it's no secret that the classic animation was heavily influenced by Shakespeare's Hamlet, it's also greatly indebted to the lesser-known Kimba The White Lion, a 1950s manga which was adapted into a hit anime in the 1960s.

Even ignoring the fact that Simba is a pretty lazy knock-off of Kimba, both properties take place in Africa and address the circle of life theme, feature a similar cast of supporting characters, and when Matthew Broderick signed on for The Lion King, he even assumed he would be voicing Kimba, not Simba.

The similarity was blatant enough to be referenced in The Simpsons' season six episode "Round Springfield" released the very next year, and even though many Japanese cartoonists urged Disney to acknowledge the influence, The Lion King's creators stood firm that it was pure coincidence.

Though there are undeniable differences - Kimba's engagement with humans, for one - the conceptual similarity is tough to shake, no matter that The Lion King's creative team won't cop to it.