Disney released
The Lion King in 1994 and the film instantly became an animated classic. It tells the tale of a lion cub's journey to becoming king, a key aspect of course being "the circle of life." Interestingly, all of these things were done thirty years earlier in an anime series named
Kimba the White Lion.
Osamu Tezuka's
Kimba the White Lion was a Japanese animated series which aired in the 1960s. It is so similar to
The Lion King that there are many who avidly believe that Disney blatantly stole the idea for the 1994 animated film from it. This controversy has re-emerged on account of Disney's live-action remake of
The Lion King arriving in theatres (via
Toonado).
Many have taken to social media and forums to spread the word and seemingly get Disney to release some kind of apology or statement in regards to the controversy. Previously, Disney stated that they hadn't heard of
Kimba the White Lion but people simply won't have. The similarities are simply too overt.
Below you can check out a viral side-by-side comparison which points of the similarities between the two animated properties. Take a look: