She is a major character in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and a recurring character in The Lion Guard. That makes its home-entertainment debuted on June 12, four days after DreamWorks Animation's 'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted' was released in theaters.Īny plot similarities must be purely coincidental. Kiara is the daughter of Simba and Nala, Kions older sister, the mate of Kovu, the grandniece of Scar, the granddaughter of Mufasa, Sarabi, Sarafina, and Nalas Father, and the future Queen Regnant of the Pride Lands. Soon to join them in the animation hall of infamy is 'Life's a Jungle: Africa's Most Wanted,' the story of an animal who gets separated from his owner in Africa. For instance, 'Chop Kick Panda' and 'Ratatoing' were both produced on the cheap and borrowed liberally from 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Ratatouille,' respectively. Nor is it the first time a distributor or studio has tried to mimic the advertising and plot of a hit animated film.

'It seems like an attempt to get a free ride on the look and feel of another film.' 'It may not be clever, it may not be good, but it is probably not unlawful,' Rothstein said. In some cases, the plaintiff must prove that the studio in question had access to the script or rough cut of the film before mounting their own productions.Īlso read: Is Pixar Sexist? Anger as Studio Replaces Female Director on ‘Brave’ It is not enough that one film ape the style and certain story elements of another production, it has to be substantially similar in tone, pacing and plot to be deemed illegal. Glen Rothstein, an entertainment litigation partner at Blank Rome LLP, said that, at least in California, courts have set a high bar for what constitutes copyright infringement.

Kiara the brave