Chinese Filmmakers Get Sued For Their Shameless Rip Off of ‘Cars’
Students in school know that plagiarism is a huge no-no, but it seems that these Chinese filmmakers never got the memo.
The movie “The Autobots,” which was released last July, has received criticism from viewers who decry it as a shameless rip off of Disney and Pixars’ movie “Cars”. The creators of the Chinese animated film “The Autobots” are being sued for their characters’ striking resemblance to characters in “Cars.”
Apparently, a number of moviegoers had taken their children to the theaters and mistakenly believing the movie to be “Cars.” Chinese netizens are also quick to make note of the film’s poor quality as well.
Striking similarities can be seen between the Chinese movie poster for “The Autobots” and the Chinese-language movie poster for Pixar’s “Cars 2.”
Filmmaker Zhuo Jianrong told CNN during an interview that he had never watched “Cars.” In addition, he says, “The Autobots’” story plot was “completely different from Disney’s.” Zhuo explained that the movie was intended to “teach children about thinking and innovation.”
Zhuo said:
“I know of the movie ‘Cars,’ but I have never seen it. I don’t even know the names of its characters.
“We hope people can be more tolerant, as Chinese animation just started not long ago, and is nowhere near the Hollywood productions. I can only say we learned from Disney, but we would never copy.”
Despite the overwhelming number of comparisons being drawn between the two movies, the production company fervently denies the allegations and claims the work was an “independently produced” and “original” film. On Tuesday, a hearing was held in Shanghai regarding disputes over copyright infringement and unfair competition. Reuters reported that the production company, Blue MTV, media company G-Point and online content platform PPLive were involved in the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Beijing G-Point told Reuters that the firm had wanted to reach a settlement, but Disney wanted to take the matter to court. According to Shanghai Daily, Disney wants a cease and desist of distribution from the three companies. The media giant is also demanding $607,000 in compensation from Blue MTV and G-Point.
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