Kimba, the White Lion

Yes, 'Lion King' did copy from it (and from Hamlet and from Bambi and...), but Jangari taitei also copied Disney and other US cartoons. The plot differs!

Jangari taitei is a blatant glorification of Japanese subjugation and exploitation of East Asia in the 1900's, masked as Africa, and "against the White colonialists". Today the Japanese Cuture Institute only shows it with a longer apology in advance.

Pure white young Reo/Leo/Kimba then turns to methods different from his father's robberies and can counter the trinity of Sowjets, US Americans and British. All this is on a metaphorical yet obvious level, but feel free to interpret it your way.

Recommendation: Rain, lightning, waves are depicted in an extraordinary way for 1966.

The Very original story of lion cub growing to be come king of the jungle. one of the best animation in the world from Japanese creator of Atom Boy's Osamu Tezuka. Simba the lion king story (1995) is basicly copying the Kimba the white lion story ( 1965). Almost all character in the famous Disney The Lion King are heavily inspired or copied from Kimba the White Lion by late Osamu Tezuka.

The Kimba the White lion series isn't just stuck to one film from 1966, but is hundreds of hours of TV Series this didn't led to Lion King or anything resembling to it at all.

If you like to see for yourself, look it up for days or just see YMS video on Kimba The White Lion then.

I like the animation, story, characters and music. It's so nostalgic to me. I watched it in 2009 and I still like this series.