This YMS documentary about the origins and total nonsense of the "Disney ripped off Kimba" conspiracy theory is just how deep Adam went in order to show just how unlike Kimba and The Lion King are. For once, Disney-- the big evil corporate empire-- is innocent. All it took was one enraged YouTuber to actually become an expert in all things Kimba in order to clear those behind The Lion King of any wrongdoing.
However, what is scary is just how many people-- from normal people perusing clickbait articles to accredited university professors-- all assumed The Lion King was a rip-off without even watching the many Kimba anime series and movies, or reading the original manga. Adam goes into how unfair many "frame comparisons" between the two properties are, since there is only 90 minutes of The Lion King and over 3000 minutes of Kimba for biased writers to choose from.
He also shows how important context is when comparing two series and just how lacking in proper context the pro-ripoff arguers are-- for example, they claim a stampede is a major event in Kimba's life and that the dramatic stampede in the Disney movie is ripping it off, when in fact, the stampede showcased in Kimba is comedic in tone and not significant in the grand scheme of the series at all.
Another major theme in the documentary is how these conspiracy theorists misunderstand tropes and creativity. Tropes are common storytelling conventions: a simple-minded henchman duo, a villain kicking a dog to show how bad he is, a person being saved from a bullet by a book in their pocket, a villain expressing creepy interest in a damsel in distress. All of these are conventions seen in many kinds of movies, from thrillers to romantic comedies. Adam argues that the claims of TLK ripping off Kimba largely also come from the two stories just happening to share common tropes, such as the hero having a love interest or even something like a character temporarily blinding an opponent to make a quick escape. These are tropes common in stories beyond these talking animal stories-- it's hardly ripping off Kimba for Disney to give Simba a love interest, a convention as old as storytelling itself!
Beyond debunking a poorly researched theory, this documentary shows a much sadder truth about people in general-- mainly how gullible we all are. If we all assume something is true without the proper research or based only on inaccurate hearsay from "experts" when it comes to whether or not one children's cartoon is stealing from another, what does that imply about how people go about forming opinions on weightier matters? How often do people take the media's word for whatever's going on-- and how often do they do their own research rather than just taking an expert's word for it, so long as said expert confirms any existing bias they might have? It's terrifying.
However, what is scary is just how many people-- from normal people perusing clickbait articles to accredited university professors-- all assumed The Lion King was a rip-off without even watching the many Kimba anime series and movies, or reading the original manga. Adam goes into how unfair many "frame comparisons" between the two properties are, since there is only 90 minutes of The Lion King and over 3000 minutes of Kimba for biased writers to choose from.
He also shows how important context is when comparing two series and just how lacking in proper context the pro-ripoff arguers are-- for example, they claim a stampede is a major event in Kimba's life and that the dramatic stampede in the Disney movie is ripping it off, when in fact, the stampede showcased in Kimba is comedic in tone and not significant in the grand scheme of the series at all.
Another major theme in the documentary is how these conspiracy theorists misunderstand tropes and creativity. Tropes are common storytelling conventions: a simple-minded henchman duo, a villain kicking a dog to show how bad he is, a person being saved from a bullet by a book in their pocket, a villain expressing creepy interest in a damsel in distress. All of these are conventions seen in many kinds of movies, from thrillers to romantic comedies. Adam argues that the claims of TLK ripping off Kimba largely also come from the two stories just happening to share common tropes, such as the hero having a love interest or even something like a character temporarily blinding an opponent to make a quick escape. These are tropes common in stories beyond these talking animal stories-- it's hardly ripping off Kimba for Disney to give Simba a love interest, a convention as old as storytelling itself!
Beyond debunking a poorly researched theory, this documentary shows a much sadder truth about people in general-- mainly how gullible we all are. If we all assume something is true without the proper research or based only on inaccurate hearsay from "experts" when it comes to whether or not one children's cartoon is stealing from another, what does that imply about how people go about forming opinions on weightier matters? How often do people take the media's word for whatever's going on-- and how often do they do their own research rather than just taking an expert's word for it, so long as said expert confirms any existing bias they might have? It's terrifying.
