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British man who claims to have created Disney Pixar’s Cars loses court battle

By Tim Beissmann |

A British writer has lost a legal battle with Disney and Pixar after a US judge failed to believe he wrote a screenplay resembling the movie Cars years ago.

Jake Mandeville-Anthony penned a screenplay called Cookie & Co around 20 years ago. It was based on the life of New Zealand man Michael Perkins, who won a race from London to Sydney in 1988 in an antique Vauxhall Malvern.

During the early 1990s, Mr Mandeville-Anthony created a second version of the screenplay – this time called Cars – that featured 46 animated car characters that raced around the world.

In 1993, he sent his idea to Disney and met with then-Lucasfilm executive Jim Morris to discuss Cars, but was knocked back.

Twelve years later, Mr Morris was appointed general manger at Pixar and the following year, in 2006, the Disney Pixar film Cars raked in $US570 million at the box office.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Mr Perkins said the similarities between Mr Mandeville-Anthony’s screenplay and the Disney film were too strong to simply be a coincidence.

“When Cars came out in 2006, Jake was completely blown away by it. They had taken the whole concept,” Mr Perkins said.

Both screenplays reportedly include a Model T Ford called Stanley, as well as an Aston Martin in a lead role, old Italian cars and ramshackle trucks, to name a few.

In March of this year, Mr Mandeville-Anthony sued Disney and Pixar for infringement of copyright and unsuccessfully applied for a court injunction to stop the release of Cars 2, which hit cinemas in June.

This month, Californian judge Valerie Baker Fairbank found the two screenplays were “not substantially similar as a matter of law”, and dismissed the case.

What do you think? Was Mr Mandeville-Anthony unlucky, or was it all just a bit of a coincidence? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


 
  • Meanstreak

    Tough to call. If 3 Billion of our 6 Billion world population were asked to come up with a story idea, I think you’d find many coincidences.

  • http://caradvice OSU811

    Definately similarities!, But no mention of who actually wrote the screen play for the actual movie? and where he got his ideas from!, so cant judge without all the facts, which obviously the Judge had!

    • Jake Mandeville-Anthony

      Good logical point, that the judge had all the facts. In the Cars action the judge did “not” have all the facts as she refused discovery. However, Disney/Pixar did have discovery from the preceeding UK action but did not tell the Court. What is normally called a rigged deck. However, the Cars action is now under appeal in the US. Not over yet.

  • Samr

    I think the case is bogus but Disney should sue Mazda

    • Jacob

      lol, HA HA HA HA HA!

  • Chris

    I think if there was ideas used to make cars from Jake then Pixar owes at least something because without an idea nothing comes about and if Mr Morris had known this he should at least give credit where it’s due. I know if you aint honest it eventually catches you and things go pretty wrong from there. Thanks for your time cheers

    • Jake Mandeville-Anthony

      Spot on, Chris. It’s called karma. A major part of the money from the court action was/is planned to go to help Cambodian street kids get an education, food and shoes, based around Jake’s Guerrilla Guide to Prodigy book(available on ammazon.com as a kindle e-book plus paperbacks in Thailand from Asia Books. It’s a Buddhist inspied project and Buddhist believe in karma, as your own blog suggests you yourself do? And here’s a supernatural. karmic connection, two of the four who it is strongly believed stole Jake’s work, have already come to an early and untimely death. Ironically, one from a violent automobile accident It is beleived he was very instrumental in stealing Jake’s ‘Cars’ and their is proof. Your blog indicated that all who blatantly transgress against the weak and poor, which Cambodian kids after Pol Pot most certainly are, catches up with them. In this case it already has, so they profited not at all from their skuldduggery. Education for Cambodian street kids and food and clothing to sustain them while they get educated, so they can improve their own lives and the state of their nation now and in the future, is their only way out after what Pol Pot gave them. I’ve been there many times as a freelance journalist from Pol Pot’s time, when the civil war was in full swing. Someone has to do something to help, and as I have seen it for decades, first hand, funds from the Cars case were/are planned to help accomplish that. Cars is the biggest grossing movie franchise of all time, and royalties from my work would have and still could, help change the world of the Cambodian people via their own efforts with a little help from their friends. So fuck Disney/Pixars’ thievery. But the case is under appeal, so not over yet. Thanks for your insightful observations, Chris. So far you have been proven to be right.

  • Meanstreak

    Samr, why sue Mazda?

    • Matty B

      Cause they seem to be designing their new cars off the cartoon..

      • khoder is always right says

        LMFAO

    • JonnyBravo

      have u noticed the smiley face on all mazda’s

  • gt6

    Jake vs the almost unlimited legal resources of Disney?? Even if he is right, it’s a no contest.

    • Jake Mandeville-Anthony

      Good point, gt6. However, one man with writing skills, an understanding of the law, determination and the will to obtain justice, can sometimes beat the power of money. Jake fits that bill and the Cars action is currently under appeal in the USA. Incidentally, Disney/Pixars’ claim for $38,000 in costs against the plaintiff (Jake), was denied and they got $15 for a court fee. So money did not work for Disney on that one. Further, in order to win the first round of the case and get Jake’s case struck out without a trial and a total refusal of the disovery process so almost no evidence admitted to the court on behalf of the plaintiff, Disney/Pixar’s lawyers resorted to perjury, wihholding crucial evidence from the court, and numerous incidents of lying by ommission. It’s all there in hard evidence in the court records. Jake will be applying to the Law Society of California to have the defendant’s law firm dissbarred. Cannot win a court action using a campaign to pervert the course of justice using perjury, etc..

  • Meanstreak

    Pixar says that lightning McQueen is partially inspired by the Mazda Miata, so if anything Mazda would be suing Disney. Get your facts straight before making absurd statements.

    • Samr

      It was a joke mate :)

  • Ric Lawes

    An appeal is already being lodged and right now – the last thing Disney needs are the details to become public. Anthony wrote the script in 1992, public record, and has 46 animated drawings copyright at that time – with more than substantial similarity. Pixar/Morris/Lasseter did not get even a concept to it’s ‘creative’ department until after 2006 and Anthony had delivered the script in person to Morris years before – a matter of fact – so who is telling lies here? The problem here is ‘somehow’ a ‘judge’ has passed judgement without reviewing all evidence, so let;s hope the appeal will show Disney to be guilty of ‘Grand Theft Auto’. Is it in the US that a kangaroo court does not allow a plaintiff to trial because they lack the funds to do so? What sort of justice is that? Big brother here has already been noted as to previous copyright infringements (Lion King et al) so if their MO can be put on trial, I feel there will be a far different outcome.