Disney-Pixar Facing Lawsuit Over Claims of Plagiarism for the Van Design in ‘Onward’

Disney-Pixar Facing Lawsuit Over Claims of Plagiarism for the Van Design in 'Onward'

Disney-Pixar Facing Lawsuit Over Claims of Plagiarism for the Van Design in ‘Onward‘. Artist, Sweet Cecily Daniher, filed a lawsuit on Monday in the United States District Court’s Northern District of California against the animation studio.

Daniher and her lawyers claim Pixar stole the design of her vehicle she calls the “Vanicorn.” Daniher claims Disney-Pixar rented her van for a “special event” in Sept 2018 and was shocked to learn an identical design was being used in the new Disney-Pixar movie, Onward, without her permission.

“Well, S#*T! The producer of “Onward” just called me. She wanted to know HOW I’M FEELING…(?!) and to apologize…. she also wanted to tell me that they rented my van without disclosing their full intentions, or plans, and she’s sorry for that too. [Disney] [Pixar] just tried to smooth things over with a phone call, instead of putting their art dept to work, or asking.”


According to the suit, Daniher is suing Disney-Pixar for damages of a monetary amount and is seeking an injunction that would stop Disney from “promoting, selling, marketing, advertising, shipping, transporting (directly or indirectly) or otherwise moving in domestic or foreign commerce, any and all of the Defendants’ advertisements, promotion and/or merchandising materials and/or products, and/or the motion picture entitled Onward and products which infringe upon Plaintiff’s copyrighted work.”

The lawsuit also calls for, “[T]hey have altered this Plaintiff’s highly personal and public transubstantiation of her lifelong artistic interest in unicorns into the Vanicorn (a uniquely San Franciscan work of public, mobile, automotive art, and a redemptive and validating act of recovery from toxic masculinity and a former marriage),” the suit complaint reads. “And which has, instead, been pilfered by the Defendants as a commercial and corporate conduit for the aspirations of a pair of blue boy elves looking for their father in a mass marketed Disney film, and was accomplished by the Defendants under wickedly misleading pretenses.”
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co for all things Pixar.
Featured Photo Credit: Disney
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Kaitlyn is a writer, painter, and artist based just north of Baltimore, Maryland. She is a previous participant in the Disney College Program and has years of experience with Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts and with Universal Orlando Resort. Her and her big 'Ohana are frequent visitors to the parks and resorts and she is always up for another trip to visit her favorite castles! Kaitlyn is the News & Entertainment Writer for Chip and Company and is passionate about writing and storytelling.
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