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Thursday, 14 November, 2002, 16:15 GMT
Monsters Inc faces 'copying' lawsuit
![]() Mike and Sullivan: Monsters Inc's main characters
Stanley Mouse, whose real name is Stanley Miller, filed his case against Disney Enterprises and Pixar Talking Pictures in the federal court in San Francisco. He said Monsters, Inc's stars, Mike and Sully, were derived from a one-eyed creature called Wise G'Eye and a larger monster, who often appeared together in his cartoons going back to 1963.
Court documents state that one-eyed Mike, who was voiced by Billy Crystal, strongly resembles a character drawn by Mouse as part of his ideas for a film called Excuse My Dust. The artist unsuccessfully tried to sell in Hollywood in 1998.
In the Disney/Pixar version, Mike and Sully live in Monstropolis and work for Monsters, Inc. Mouse told BBC News Online from his studio in Northern California: "This is about ownership and artistic integrity. "In a way they have stolen my life's work. I have built this up over my whole life and they have just taken it." Drawings attached to the complaint, dating from the early 1960s, pair a small, two-legged eyeball with a large, dull-witted monster character in a buddy relationship.
Mouse's lawyer Sandy Troy told BBC News Online that Mouse is one of the foremost poster artists associated with the likes of rock band Grateful Dead. Mr Troy added that the one-eyed creature has been a recurring character of Mouse's since the early 60s. Pixar has made no comment about the lawsuit and is referring all enquiries to Disney. Disney's response was that the characters in Monsters, Inc were "developed independently by the Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures creative teams, and do not infringe on anyone's copyrights".
The animated movie, released last year, grossed more than $520m (£328m) in box office receipts worldwide and selling 5 million copies on the first day of its recent video and DVD release. No trial date has yet been set.
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