Mr. Ray Sues, Claiming 'Finding Nemo' Stole His Name

AP ^ | July 22, 2003

[Shermy]

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Will the real Mr. Ray please stand up?

On the big screen, it's the name of the manta ray in the animated movie "Finding Nemo."

In real life, he's Ray Yodlowsky, a children's musician known as Mr. Ray.

The flesh-and-bones version is not taking the coincidence lying down. Yodlowsky has filed a $10 million trademark infringement lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios, claiming the manta ray character is causing confusion among his fans.

Yodlowsky said that some of his fans expected him to be dressed as a manta ray at a recent appearance.

"It's weird," he said. "I'm a human ... that's a manta ray. People must be thinking I'm nuts. But it's my future, and who knows what plans they have for their Mr. Ray? Believe you me, children remember all the minor and secondary characters from those movies."

In the movie, the manta ray plays a schoolteacher who helps a father fish search for his son.

A representative for Pixar declined comment, and attempts to reach Disney were unsuccessful.

[Sloth]

The space program really has gone downhill since the Challenger.

[4mycountry]

Dang, they did rip 'em off! Wow, that's just crazy!

[raybbr]

But at Moorestown High School, New Jersey, the determination of one star student to finish top of her class has enraged her peers and led to a $2.7 million (£1.7 million) federal lawsuit. Blair Hornstine, a formidably intelligent and hard-working 18-year-old, sued for damages after being told she must share a top student award with a high-achieving rival who scored slightly lower marks in end-of-school tests. Even in a society as notoriously litigious as America, the case of Blair L. Hornstine vs Moorestown Board of Education has raised eyebrows. Ms Hornstine's school career is a glittering tale of accomplishment, prizes and praise.

I wonder if he knows these people?

[VermiciousKnid]

I had no idea that so many others had noticed this. In fact, my brother and I (and of course our parents) are the only ones I know who remember Kimba at all.

I'm glad to see that others are as upset as I am. I am not, however, surprised; Disney is not exactly my idea of a company with many morals, no matter how they sugarcoat their image.

Regards,

[Last Visible Dog]

For years there was a local TV commercial in Baltimore by "Mr Ray". He sold wigs and hairpieces for men and women. He did the commercials himself and the self-parody sold a lot of wigs.

Mr. Ray's Hair-Weave. That was who I was thinking of when I clicked on the story.

I remember Mr. Ray’s commercials from my youth (being highly Caucasian, I didn’t even know what a hair weave was)

BTW: can anybody tell me where Caucasia is – I would like to trace my roots.

[breakem]

coming soon on SpikeTV

[Kenny Bunk]

Guy's no idiot. You know they stole the "Lion King," concept, too. They are paying off handsomely. As they probably should.

[TBall]

You can call me Ray, or you call me Jay, but you doesn't have to call me Johnson.

[TBall]

Fix.

[PianoMan]

The Caucasus region includes Georgia, Azerbaijan and the once-glorious Armenia.

[A CA Guy]

Calling a manta-ray Mr. Ray is not a big leap.
You could call a goldfish Mr Gold also, but some jerk may have that name and might be asked to put on a fish costume.

You might have a Hammer Shark called Hammer and of course that would be an infringement on MC Hammer...

They are full of it and I would hope Disney takes pleasure in breaking them in legal fees.

[GATOR NAVY]

My Japanese wife saw it was stolen from Kimba. Personally I never saw Kimba, or if I did it made no impression.

[VermiciousKnid]

In fact, unless something has happened over only the last two years, Disney has NOT paid any money for plagairising "Kimba The White Lion."

But you are correct when you say they should.

Regards,

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Anyone from the DC metropolitan area remember those commercials for Mr. Ray's Invisible Hair Re-Weave back in the '80's? ("Our whole lives have changed!")

LOL! That's who I thought of first when I read the headline!

[VermiciousKnid]

plagairising=plagiarising.

[WestPacSailor]

I'm not normally a fan of Disney's crass marketing and domination of the entertainment industry, but anybody stupid enough to take on Disney's lawyers with such an obvious attemp to extort money with this frivilous drivel deserves the whuppin' they are all but certain to receive in court.

[Crusher138]

Dear Mr. Knid:

I too remember Kimba The White Lion. I could not recall any real similarities between Kimba and The Lion King so I went to the offical Kimba website and got this synopsis:

Africa, mid-20th century. In the face of the inexorable encroachment of mankind, a white lion, Caesar, seeks to change things: he wants to give all wild animals a safe haven, free from fear of man and free from fear of each other. And, to a very large degree, he is successful. His one mistake: he liberates the cattle from nearby villages.

A professional hunter, Viper Snakely, is called in to stop these raids. His genius is to avoid directly attacking Caesar--this tactic has never worked for any hunter. Instead, Snakely uses the devotion Caesar and his mate, Snowene, share.

Snakely tape-records the sounds of Caesar and uses that as bait to trap Snowene. Snowene then becomes bait herself in a trap for Caesar. Caesar is killed, and the pregnant Snowene is shipped off, destined for some zoo.

Kimba is born while Snowene is on the ship. She teaches him his father's ideals which he puts into practice almost immediately, befriending the mice on board the ship. A huge storm wrecks the ship, leaving Kimba floundering in the ocean. The benevolence of the fish help him to survive and learn to swim.

With his mother encouraging him from Beyond, and guided by butterflies, Kimba makes it back to land.

Kimba lands far from his ancestral home, and is found and cared for by some people. Ever the quick learner, Kimba notices the benefits of the good parts of human culture, and makes up his mind that when he returns to his wild home he will not only seek to continue his father's peaceful animal kingdom, he will expand it with what he has learned.

The show follows Kimba's life after he returns to the wild (still a young cub) and shows his learning and growing during the next year. One thing Kimba soon learns and incorporates into his vision is that true peace will require communication and mutual understanding with the ever-more-present humans.

Not seeing a lot of The Lion King in that. Characters are another matter.

Kimba - The white lion with the dream.
Kitty - Kimba's lady love.
Dan'l Baboon - Kimba's mentor and advisor.
Pauley Cracker - A parrot who had also spent some time living with humans. He thought he should be Kimba's mentor and advisor. Zazoo?
Caesar - Kimba's father (dead)
Snowene - Kimba's mother
Claw - The local villain lion; wants Kimba out of the picture. (Looks a lot like Scar)
Tom and Tab - Hyenas. Comic relief from the dark side.

Okay, they may have lifted some of the characters. ;-)

[VermiciousKnid]

Oh, I agree about this "Mr. Ray" person's lawsuit being frivolous!

The Kimba/Lion King situation is different.

Regards,

[WestPacSailor]

Yeah, the Kimba/Lion King thing does seem pretty much a blatant rip off to me too.