Disney’s The Lion King remains one of the company’s most iconic animated features to date. Remade into a live-action movie in 2019, the film is said to have been inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and tells the story of a young lion who must avenge his father’s death and take his place as king.

One of the behind-the-scenes facts that fans might not know about The Lion King is that the film actually led to Disney landing in legal trouble. Unfortunately for the entertainment giant, they were sued more than once over The Lion King.

Disney is no stranger to lawsuits, one of the most recent incidents being Scarlett Johansson suing the company for streaming Black Widow. But what was the main catalyst behind their lawsuit over The Lion King, and did they end up paying damages? Keep reading to find out.

Who Sued Disney Over ‘The Lion King’?

Though the primary Lion King villain is Mufasa’s evil and jealous brother Scar, the hyenas in the film are also depicted as being the bad guys. Shown as Scar’s goons, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed have no empathy for Simba and actually cause Mufasa’s death by starting the stampede that kills him (on Scar’s orders, of course).

While not quite as evil as Scar, the hyenas are portrayed as selfish and mindlessly hungry, willing to harm anything and anyone just to secure a decent meal. The makers of the classic film couldn’t have anticipated that this would have led to a lawsuit.

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According to Screen Rant, a research biologist sued the company for defamation as they portrayed the animals in such a negative light. This came after Disney was permitted into the University of California’s Field Station, so their animators could conduct research into hyenas and how to capture them properly in the film.

The company reportedly promised to depict the animals positively, prompting at least one of the researchers to become annoyed when they weren’t. The lawsuit alleged that the company was guilty of defamation of character.

However, Screen Rant explains that nothing ever became of the lawsuit, as a person or company can’t really defame a hyena. While the hyena lawsuit didn’t amount to anything, it wasn’t the first time that Disney risked legal trouble with The Lion King.

Did Disney Steal ‘The Lion King’?

Disney has come under fire in the past for allegedly stealing the concept of The Lion King from the Japanese cartoon Kimba the White Lion, which was first created in 1950.

The two projects have undeniable similarities, including the obvious likeness between the names Simba and Kimba.

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A post on the subject by Bored Panda highlights that several frames taken from both The Lion King and Kimba the White Lion show that the animation is similar between the two projects. The narrative is actually different between the two stories, but they do share deeper themes in common, including the concept of The Circle of Life.

Of course, Disney has denied ripping off the Japanese production. Animator Tom Sito confirmed in an interview cited by Bored Panda that the company took no inspiration from Kimba when making The Lion King.

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“I can say there is absolutely no inspiration from Kimba,” Sito explained. “I mean, the artists working on the film, if they grew up in the ’60s, they probably saw Kimba. I mean, I watched Kimba when I was a kid in the ’60s, and I think in the recesses of my memory, we’re aware of it, but I don’t think anybody consciously thought, ‘Let’s rip off Kimba.’”

Even though there seems to be a significant amount of similarities between The Lion King and Kimba, the makers of the latter have never sued Disney for copyright infringement. Still, it’s an enduring fan theory today that The Lion King was at the very least inspired by Kimba.

Disney Also Got Into A Battle Over ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ Song

Unfortunately, Disney was also entangled in another legal battle over The Lion King regarding the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, fragments of which are sung by Timon and Pumbaa in the film.

In 2004, South African lawyers sued Disney for infringement of copyright after the song was used by Disney and earned around $15 million in royalties.

The song was initially written by Solomon Linda, a Zulu migrant worker, in 1939. The law at the time when Linda sold the copyright stated that the rights should have reverted to his heirs 25 years after his death, which took place in 1962.

In 2006, the descendants of Linda reached a settlement with Abilene Music Publishers, who held the rights and had licensed the song to Disney, agreeing to place the earnings of the song in a trust.

NEXT: The True Origin Of 'The Lion King'