The THR article even includes some of Goldman’s character designs alongside the designs of characters from Disney’s Zootopia movie to highlight similarities, though it is worth noting that some of the animals were changed in the actual movie.
The material he reportedly included was a treatment, synopsis, character descriptions and character illustrations.
Supposedly Goldman had pitched his version of a Zootopia franchise in 2000 and 2009, which included a “live action component” called “Looney” and the animated Zootopia.
According to THR, the complaint, which was filed on Tuesday in California federal court, comes from Esplanade Productions, Inc. It alleges that Disney copied Gary Goldman’s (whose other work includes writing Big Trouble in Little China and Navy Seals) same-named Zootopia.