Stanley Mouse Sues Monsters Inc Movie Company
Gypsyman3
Suit Says Pixar Copied Monsters, Inc. Characters
By DeVon Nolt
The lead characters of the movie “Monsters, Inc.” were illegally copied
from characters drawn by cartoonist Stanley Miller in the early 1960’s,
according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of California against Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios,
Inc., the producers of the movie.
“Defendants copied at least two of [Miller’s characters] and used them as
lead characters—i.e. ‘Mike’ and ‘Sullivan’—in the highly-successful
movie ‘Monsters, Inc.,’” the complaint said.
According to the complaint, Miller, who is also known as Stanley Mouse, created
various monster characters for publication on posters, calendars and t-shirts,
beginning in 1963. Two of these characters—including one that, like
“Mike,” had only one eye—allegedly formed the basis for the lead
characters in the movie.
Other similarities to Miller’s creations, such as the characters’ buddy
relationship, are also evident, and a gallery of Mr. Miller’s work even
appears in the movie, according to the complaint. Disney and Pixar allegedly
came into contact with Miller’s work in 1997, when they reviewed a
“treatment” for an animated movie Miller had proposed.
The illegal use of Miller’s characters is unsurprising, given that the
defendants have espoused a philosophy consistent with using others’
creations, according to the complaint. “The Pixar artist credited with
drawing ‘Mike’ has publicly admitted that he is guided by the principal,
‘Everything’s been done before, you just have to do it your way,” the
suit said.
“Defendants took this principal to heart; they took Mr. Miller’s lifetime
of work, and, without his knowledge or consent, put their label on it,” the
suit said.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting further use of the characters, as
well as unspecified damages. “Defendants have enjoyed hundreds of millions of
dollars in profit from the wrongful use of Mr. Miller’s creations,” the
suit said.
In September 2002, “Monsters, Inc.” broke both the single-day and
single-week sales records for DVDs, selling over five million copies in its
first day of release and 11 million copies in its first week.
The complaint was filed by John Heisner in the San Diego office of Sullivan,
Hill, Lewin, Rez & Engel.
mrpomfrit
"Gypsyman3" <gyps...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021010233225...@mb-mj.aol.com...
> The lead characters of the movie "Monsters, Inc." were illegally copied
> from characters drawn by cartoonist Stanley Miller in the early 1960's,
Funny, I always thought the flying eyeballs were a Griffin hallucination.
I've seen Mouse's, sure, but surely RG did 'em first?
Stanley, Mouse, Griffin, Moscoso etc. all used to share themes.
Guess it's a question of who's doing the sharing, huh?
Not that I read this newsgroup anymore, of course...
Olompali4
>I've seen Mouse's, sure, but surely RG did 'em first?<
I doubt this is about the "Flying Eyeball"..Mouse has thousands of
illustrations and according to the lawsuit, Disney and Pixar acknowledged
viewing them.
As for the "Flying Eyeball" it was the pinstriper Von Dutch who deserves the
credit for the design, popular in the California motorcycle/dragstrip/surfer
world of the early '60's
a snippet from an article by Matt Jordan:
In the early 1950s a young guy with a blond crew cut named Kenneth Howard
underwent a metamorphosis from being a sign painter, motorcycle mechanic, and
pin-stripe artist to being ÒVon DutchÓ - a cult hero of the Beatnik custom car
scene. He called himself the Òoriginator of modern pin-striping.Ó Making him
famous was his ability to create really cool designs on hot rods, T-shirts,
signs - almost anything. His designs became very influential, and his winged
eyeball logo is recognized around the world.
~~~In person Von Dutch was known as a gruff, hard-drinking guy who kept people
at a distance until he knew and trusted them. Then he was a gentle, sensitive
person. His voice sounded like Nick NolteÕs and he lived on the fringe his
whole life, often taking off in his customized pick-up truck or tool-filled bus
to travel the country playing his flute, drinking, pin-striping and painting,
and building oddball items of all kinds including a steam-powered TV set.
Ultimately he created a number of scratch-built cars, restored many vintage
motorcycles, hand-created guns and knives with beautiful etchings, and created
many signs and paintings - and, of course, he pinstriped many cool cars.
lessthan
Maybe they are referring to this period of his work.
Bill
"mrpomfrit" <mrpo...@wanadoo.fr> wrote
>
> Not that I read this newsgroup anymore, of course...
Nor do I read your posts any more. :^)
Bill
mrpomfrit
"Bill" <crow...@ix.netcom.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:ao72f8$uvp$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net...
> Nor do I read your posts any more. :^)
Obviously not. ;-}
Rupert
well-known of Mouse/Kelley's creations were all direct ripoffs of other
artists' work.
1)The skull and roses was taken directly from the Rubyiat of Omar Khayan.
This is a well known fact.
2)The jester design, which became the logo for Grateful Dead records, was
stolen from a painting by Maxfield Parrish. All that he and Alton Kelley did
was replace the human face with that of a skeleton. Everything else is the
same. If you look in any good book of Parrish's work you will find that it's
almost bushstroke for brushstroke.
3)The turtles on the cover of Terrapin Station were copied from someone
else's work. I don't remember the name of the particular artist at this
point, but it's in the McNally book.
The point being, Stanley Mouse is lucky to have the career that he has had,
and that a hell of a lot of it has been based on the creations of other
people. The idea of him suddenly sueing anyone is ludicrious.
-Rupert
www.rupezone.com
"Why stand around looking stupid when you can do it
just as easily sitting down?"
"Gypsyman3" <gyps...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021010233225...@mb-mj.aol.com...
> Anyone else see the resemblance?
>
> Suit Says Pixar Copied Monsters, Inc. Characters
> By DeVon Nolt
>
> The lead characters of the movie "Monsters, Inc." were illegally copied
> from characters drawn by cartoonist Stanley Miller in the early 1960's,
> according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern
District
> of California against Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Pixar Animation
Studios,
> Inc., the producers of the movie.
>
> "Defendants copied at least two of [Miller's characters] and used them
as
> lead characters-i.e. 'Mike' and 'Sullivan'-in the highly-successful
> movie 'Monsters, Inc.,'" the complaint said.
>
> According to the complaint, Miller, who is also known as Stanley Mouse,
created
> various monster characters for publication on posters, calendars and t-shi
rts,
> beginning in 1963. Two of these characters-including one that, like
> "Mike," had only one eye-allegedly formed the basis for the lead
j perry
"Rupert" <ruper...@directvinternet.com>
wrote:
> This is hilariously funny, considering that all of the best and most
> well-known of Mouse/Kelley's creations were all direct ripoffs of other
> artists' work.
>
> 1)The skull and roses was taken directly from the Rubyiat of Omar Khayan.
> This is a well known fact.
>
> 2)The jester design, which became the logo for Grateful Dead records, was
> stolen from a painting by Maxfield Parrish. All that he and Alton Kelley did
> was replace the human face with that of a skeleton. Everything else is the
> same. If you look in any good book of Parrish's work you will find that it's
> almost bushstroke for brushstroke.
>
> 3)The turtles on the cover of Terrapin Station were copied from someone
> else's work. I don't remember the name of the particular artist at this
> point, but it's in the McNally book.
>
> The point being, Stanley Mouse is lucky to have the career that he has had,
> and that a hell of a lot of it has been based on the creations of other
> people. The idea of him suddenly sueing anyone is ludicrious.
>
I think someone should spend more time in art
class.
First, Stanley has always given credit to the
*public domain* art that he has been inspired by.
Click on his images on his web site and he says
what gave him the idea (poster area).
I've known Stanley for years and seen his hard
work. Not everything is "ripped off", check out
all his airbrush from Mars Hotel to Tiger Rose,
his countless oil paintings he make his living by.
He designed many of the Steve Miller albums and
Journey albums and won creative design of the year
awards. He's been honored at the NY MOMA and NY
Metro ...too many exhibits to mention here
(currently at Chicago Art).
He has been ripped off so badly though out his
career... in 1961 he created the "RAT FINK" design
with a friend. He showed me the original pencil
drawings from then, Big Daddy Roth promised
compensation, nada. In 1996 Roth sold the Rat Fink
design to the Japanese for a million. Mouse got
nothing, hence the "no rat finks" logo on the web
site. He's tired of being taken advantage of and
so are his friends.
I once asked him about the flying eyeball. He
said he was with Rick Griffin in the library
looking up hieroglyphics symbols and found it.
They also found the inspiration for Cats under the
Stars. They researched the eye and found it used
many times though out history.
He's always been generous with Deadheads, you
can use his designs just don't profit off them.
I'll I'm saying is look into the 40 year
history of Stanley Mouse before you make a comment
like that.
Jperdue4
hes right you know......(copyright:Snorky The Inept)
Olompali4
>said he was with Rick Griffin in the library
>looking up hieroglyphics symbols and found it. <
is fair to give the initial 60's pop art ressurection to Von Dutch.
I agree that Mouse is a much copied innovator and is deserving of any
recognition and wealth he achieves.
Snorky The Inept
> hes right you know......(copyright:Snorky The Inept)
Where's my royalty check?
--
Snorky the Inept
DEAD FREAKS UNITE
Who are you? Where are you?
How are you?
Susan J. Weiand
>
> Jon wrote:
>
> > hes right you know......(copyright:Snorky The Inept)
>
> Where's my royalty check?
Sorry Snorky, but I don't think you coined the term. I have seen it on
this ng for over 7 years.
Sue
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Susan J. Weiand, photographer
portraits, weddings, special events
s.we...@ix.netcom.com
portrait site: http://s.weiand.home.netcom.com/
rock photos: http://www.tapercities.com/Jambands/sweiand/index.htm
Check out the jambands, psychedelic, and progressive channels at
http://www.spinner.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ba ba booie
Mouse Studios - Store
Address:http://www.mousestudios.com/Store/store.htm Changed:6:59 PM on
Saturday, November 10, 2001
This is some nifty stuff.
I have always loved his work.
I also like Rick Griffitn's work.
Address:http://myraltis.co.uk/rickgriffin/ Changed:2:51 PM on Tuesday,
September 17, 2002
It looks just so damn cool.....
.
.
Have you checked these sites out today?
http://www.jambase.com
http://www.jambands.com
http://www.pauserecord.com
http://www.jambase.com/festivals
http://www.jambase.com/search.asp?day=today&dispall=1 " Listen to this
one " >>> http://www.wbgo.org/stream/index.html (It's the best jazz &
blues station around.)
Rupert
a "ripoff artist" or anything. And I am well aware of his wonderful Journey
covers, especially for "Infinity", love that one. I said that his most
well-known work, primarily the jester, and skull and roses, were not his
original concepts. That's all.
-Rupe
www.rupezone.com
"Why stand around looking stupid when you can do it
just as easily sitting down?"
"Snorky The Inept" <hazel...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ao9tef$7ht$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
Snorky The Inept
> Snorky wrote:
> > Jon wrote:
> > > hes right you know......(copyright:Snorky The Inept)
> >
> > Where's my royalty check?
>
> Sorry Snorky, but I don't think you coined the term. I have seen it on
> this ng for over 7 years.
I don't recall claiming to have coined the term. According to Jon, however,
I hold the copyright. So again I ask:
Where's my royalty check?
--
cedar
wrote:
>j perry <pe...@ziplip.com> wrote:
>: I'll I'm saying is look into the 40 year
>: history of Stanley Mouse before you make a comment
>: like that.
>
>Thanks for providing a little perspective, Jeff. Still, it's impossible to
>deny that a lot of the early psychedelic posters in San Francisco were
>based on wholesale appropriation of other artists' images. Those images
>just happened to be in the public domain, but it's still ironic.
>
>--Art
Thanks for pointing that out Art, I hadn't really considered that.
Thinking back, many of those posters leaned heavily on everything from
Victorian photographs to Art Deco styles to cigar store indians.
It's even cooler how much of it turned out, though.
Kinda like the Grateful dead.
TJ
j perry
<_IWq9.42448$zd5.17...@news.primus.ca>,
Scratchie <Agitat...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> j perry <pe...@ziplip.com> wrote:
> : I'll I'm saying is look into the 40 year
> : history of Stanley Mouse before you make a comment
> : like that.
>
> Thanks for providing a little perspective, Jeff. Still, it's impossible to
> deny that a lot of the early psychedelic posters in San Francisco were
> based on wholesale appropriation of other artists' images. Those images
> just happened to be in the public domain, but it's still ironic.
>
(Hey ya hi ya Art...)
"Good artists copy, Great artist steal"
~Pablo Picasso
Art (and music) is funny. Van Gogh completely
"recreated" paintings by Millet, Delacroix and
Japanese prints. Starry Night was taken from a
Dutch wood block print. Dali took Giorgio de
Chirico style and ideas and made a 60 year career
out of the same stuff. Picasso didn't get
worldwide recognition until he recreated the
African masks he collected on canvas as women's
faces. All the impressionist (and post
impressionist) stole each other style and Japanese
art. Then you have (had) Rembrant and Warhol
paying starving art students minium wage to create
stuff for them to sign and sell. (Van Gogh is my
favorite artist, spent months recreating his steps
in Europe. Picasso, to me is the most creative
artist ever IMPO). Art evolves off of itself.
Even with this In mind, you'd have to agree that
if a company asked for a presentation, made notes
though out the presentation and then said they
weren't interested. Then to find they coincidently
came up with the same one eyed monster you showed
them... well the original poster said that for
Mouse to sue was "ludicrious" (his words) ...I
disagreed.
You have to remember those early posters were
done in 2 days to maybe draw 200 people to garage
band concerts. Look at the Dead's setlist in Oct
66. (Yes I have the original Skull & Roses poster
from that show.) No one could have imagined those
posters that were stapled to telephone poles in
the Haight and SF State were going to be history.
Mouse and Kelley weren't paid squat besides.. The
Dead were only doing covers, no ones brings up
they "stole" "Going Down the Road..."
Mouse isn't litigious, in all the years I've
known him I can only remember him calling his
lawyer once to have him explain to a certain widow
that she didn't own the popular feline logo that
was on her late husband old album. She fought it
and the original contract was produced to shut her
up. I could be mistaken though.
He does have a good sense of humor about what
people think of him. I remember a few years ago I
was at his studio on a really hot fall day and we
were talking about the day Garcia died. "I only
laughed once that day" He said, "I was at the Mac
and pretty down and a stranger sent me an email,
all it said was, 'Looks like poster boy is gonna
have to find himself a *REAL* job now'".
~jp~
Cary Wolfson
Highly releveant to this discussion is Laurence Lessig's case arguing
against the extension of copyright protection that's currently before
the Supreme Court. Lessig's main contention is that the original intent
of copyright law was that such protection should only be granted to the
creator for a limited time. Basically, what he's saying is that new art
almost always involves recycling and that by granting copyright to
someone like Disney for 70 years (or more, if corporate interests get
their way) ulitmately stifles creativity in our society.
--
Cary Wolfson
Producer
Blues From the Red Rooster Lounge
Syndicated Weekly Radio Show Since 1986
1455 Chestnut Place, Boulder, CO 80304-3153