Disney sued over 'Zootopia' film by the 'Total Recall' screenwriter

Disney has received a lawsuit over its blockbuster movie 'Zootopia'. The giant media house is being accused by the Total Recall screenwriter of having stolen his original idea to use in its Oscar-winning film.

Gary Goldman, a renown Hollywood screenwriter, and producer, claims that Disney replicated aspects of his 'Zootopia' concept such as plot, theme, setting, characters and even dialog among other details. He had pitched the idea of 'Zootopia' to Walt Disney in 2000 and 2009.

Disney was served with the copyright infringement lawsuit papers on Tuesday. Goldman had filed the suit in the US District Court in Los Angeles, California.

Aside from the statements about Disney's replication of Goldman's original idea, the suit also accuses Walt Disney of being in the habit of unabashedly infringing on others' copyrights. It says that Disney and its affiliates embrace and encourage a culture that accepts the unauthorized copying of others' original material.

Disney's response

Following issuance of court papers, Disney has come out to dismiss the award-winning screenwriter's claims as untrue. It sent a statement saying that Mr. Goldman's allegations were riddled with falsehood and that they were only an unprincipled attempt by him to lay claim to a successful film that he didn't create. The statement further reiterated that Disney is prepared to vigorously defend itself in court.

It remains to be known whether Goldman will succeed in his suit or whether it's Walt Disney that will have the final laugh. Both Goldman's spokesman and his lawyer Jeffery McFarland haven't given any additional comments following the filing of the lawsuit. Goldman is seeking undisclosed compensatory and punitive damages through his company Esplanade Productions. His compensatory claims extend even to merchandise sales.

Gary Goldman is an accomplished filmmaker. He not only does screenwriting and film production but is also an animator, a voice actor, and a film director. His other credits apart from 'Total Recall' include 'An American Tail' and 'Minority' among others. 'Minority' starred Tom Cruise in a lead role.

Gary Goldman began his career in animation when he joined Walt Disney Productions (1972). His first assignment was in the film 'Robin Hood' (1973)

Goldman used to work for Walt Disney Productions prior to going into independent business. He left Walt Disney in 1979 then teamed up with colleagues John Pomeroy and Don Bluth to start Don Bluth Films. Aside from Disney, Goldman has also worked for Fox Animation Studio. The animation is apparently Goldman's forte, he has received a number of awards and honors for his contribution to this film branch.

About 'Zootopia'

The film at the center of the lawsuit 'Zootopia' is a no ordinary film. It's a film that has grossed more than $1 billion in just a span of one year. In addition to this, it boasts of an Oscar win. The animated film garnered an Oscars 2017 statuette in the Best Animated Feature Film category.

'Zootopia' seeks to talk about bias and prejudice using animal characters. It stars a rabbit who leaves her rural home so as to join a police force in a big city. This animal metropolis is largely governed by prejudice which is, in turn, a divisive factor among residents. The rabbit is voiced by actress Ginnifer Goodwin. 'Zootopia's' creation and production reportedly began five years before it was finally released in 2016.