Writers say that their spec screenplay was plundered in successful «Pirates of the Caribbean» movie franchise<\/b>
\nDisney
Disney plundered a copyright owned by other people in creating its hugely successful \u201cPirates of the Caribbean\u201d movie franchise, according to a lawsuit filed by writers Arthur Lee Alfred II, E. Ezequiel Martinez Jr. and their producer Tova Laiter.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Colorado on Tuesday, alleges that Disney committed \u201cwillful infringement of Plaintiff\u2019s original copyrighted expression of themes, settings, dialogue, characters, plot. mood [and] sequence of events contained in an original spec screenplay entitled \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean.’\u201d
The suit contends that Laiter presented the screenplay to Disney executive Brigham Taylor in August 2000.
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\u201cTaylor suggested that the idea of a film based on the \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean\u2019 ride had been suggested over the years and that the Defendants had considered making a film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride recently,\u201d the suit reads. \u201cHowever, Taylor expressly stated to Laiter that the Defendants \u2018had no treatment or script.’\u201d
Taylor later said that the \u201cPirates\u201d screenplay was being passed on, according to the suit, which adds that the screenplay wasn\u2019t returned until more than two years later, at which point \u201cDefendants were already in production on the first \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean\u2019 film.\u201d
The initial \u201cPirates\u201d film, \u201cThe Curse of the Black Pearl,\u201d contains \u201csimilarities\u201d to the spec screenplay, the suit says, and the \u201csimilarities have continued throughout the entire \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean\u2019 franchise.\u201d
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\u201cThemes, settings, plot, several characters, and dialogues from The Screenplay, some practically verbatim, have been copied by the Defendants into \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,\u2019 and in every subsequent sequel, including the 2017 release of \u2018Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,\u201d the suit states.
TheWrap has reached out to Disney for comment on the lawsuit.
Alleging multiple claims of infringement of copyright, the suit seeks unspecified damages.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
Netflix’s Penis Drawing and 8 Other R-Rated Adds to Kids TV and Movies (Photos)
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«The Little Mermaid» One cover for the home video release of «The Little Mermaid» features an image of a castle with one particularly phallic spire. The image was rumored to have been drawn by a disgruntled Disney artist, though the person behind the art told Snopes it was an honest mistake. Disney
«The Lion King» Some became convinced that Disney was trying to send subliminal messages to children when viewers noticed one shot from «The Lion King» where swirling clouds of dust appeared to spell out the word «sex.» A former Disney animator later cleared up the confusion: The shot was inserted by the special effects department, spelling out «S-F-X.» Disney
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«The Rescuers» In what is perhaps the most famous of Disney’s slip-ups, and easily the most egregious, is a picture of a topless woman in the background of two frames in «The Rescuers.» Disney itself apologized for the oversight and recalled the home video release to have it reprinted. Disney
«Toy Story» When «Toy Story» ventures over to Sid’s house and his cobbled together toys come out of the shadows, one of them is a crane with a woman’s legs. Some have interpreted the character as a bit of visual wordplay, a literal «hooker.» Pixar
«Ed, Edd n’ Eddy» Cartoon Network series often feature racy jokes, including one episode of «Ed, Edd n’ Eddy,» which featured a shot of the bathroom of one of the three characters. Edd’s mom left her son reminders in the form of sticky notes placed around the bathroom, including one that reads «Don’t touch yourself.» Cartoon Network
«Tiny Toon Adventures» In an episode of «Tiny Toon Adventures,» Bugs Bunny forces Daffy Duck to be a judge in Acme Looniversity’s student film festival, but at one point catches him reading «Playduck» magazine instead of paying attention. Warner Bros.
«Dexter’s Laboratory» In one episode of Cartoon Network’s kid genius series, Dexter is sent on a scavenger hunt by his sister. One of the clues pointing him to the next location is written across their neighbor’s rear end: «Dad’s trophy.»
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Some NFSW Easter eggs have made their way into Disney movies over the years
«Maya the Bee» Netflix pulled down an episode of the animated series «Maya the Bee» when a mother who was viewing it discovered a drawing of a penis in the background of one scene. The show’s production company later explained that it was in fact a «very bad joke» by one of the show’s animators. It’s far from the first time animators have snuck in R-rated fodder in G-rated fare.
Also Read: Netflix Yanks Kids\u2019 Cartoon Episode With Penis Drawing in Background (Photo)
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