Now look, if you had told me yesterday that legendary Canadian stuntman Evel Knievel’s family would be suing Disney for their Toy Story 4 character Duke Caboom, who was voiced by Keanu Reeves, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Mainly because WHAT?! I had to read the sentence five times over to even understand what was going on!
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Stunt performer Evel Knievel is without a doubt one of the most legendary stuntman in history.
Gaining popularity in the seventies, Evel became known for his bold stunts and style.
Now, his family is claiming he also became the inspiration for Toy Story 4 character Duke Caboom.
Duke, voiced by Keanu Reeves, is a daredevil character who bore a strong resemblance to Evel.
Disney described Duke as a “1970s toy based on Canada’s greatest stuntman. Riding his powerful Caboom stunt-cycle, Duke is always prepared to show off his stunt poses with confidence and swagger.”
“It is obvious Duke Caboom is a knockoff of Evel Knievel,” said Kelly Knievel, Evel’s oldest son and the head of plaintiff K&K Promotions, in a statement to Entertainment Weekly .
“I don’t see a big long line of Disney executives ready to get on a motorcycle and jump 13 buses, nor do I remember any Canadian daredevils from the ’70s,” Kelly continued.
“While we note that Disney uses their Mickey Mouse lawyers to aggressively protect Disney intellectual property, they did not seek permission to use Evel Knievel at any time.”
Now, Disney is responding to the claims.
Speaking with EW , a representative for the Walt Disney Company said in a statement, “The claims are without merit and we intend to defend against them vigorously in court.”
According to EW, K&K Promotions is seeking in excess of $75,000 for alleged copyright and trademark infringement for use of Evel Knievel’s likeness, reputation, and image in *Toy Story 4*.
In addition to the Toy Story character, K&K Promotions is suing Disney for the creation of the Duke Caboom action figure, which the family alleges looks similar to the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle toy released in 1973.
Yikes! What do you think of the lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below!
h/t: EW .
