Makers of China’s record-breaking animation Nezha in plagiarism suit by creators of stage musical Memory
- Box office smash ‘extremely similar’ to long-running musical, plaintiff claims in case to be heard by the Beijing Intellectual Court
- 3D film is Chinese entry in 2020 Oscars international feature film category
The makers of China’s movie hit of the summer Nezha – which made box office history in August by becoming the country’s highest-grossing animated film of all time – are being sued for plagiarism.
A Beijing-based company claims Nezha is “extremely similar” to its onstage musical Memory. The case was accepted on Monday by the Beijing Intellectual Property Court and is being processed.
China Film Huateng claims Nezha’s director Yang Yu – known in the industry as “Jiaozi” – and Beijing Enlight Media plagiarised substantial elements of its musical and is demanding 50 million yuan (US$7.1 million) for economic loss, a further 1 million yuan to cover legal costs, as well as a public notice from the defendant.
Nezha became China’s highest-grossing animated film on August 2, raking in more than 2 billion yuan (US$285.6 million) in its first week and breaking a record held by Zootopia (US$235.6 million) since 2016. It has also been picked as the country’s entry in the best international feature film category at the 2020 Oscars.
“The plaintiff claims Nezha is largely similar to Memory in character image design, plot and production elements, invading its rights,” a notice from the court said.