STOLEN IDEAS

Ever get the feeling that all your ides are being secretly stolen right from your head? Well as a creator I feel like this all of the time. With all of the drawings and writing that I do it's no wonder that sooner or later something from some other cartoon or video game series will seemingly swipe the idea straight from my notes.

My desk can LITERALLY look like this when I am "deep thinking" mode. Organization falls to the wayside and is traded in favor of literary prowess

Whether it's a creative plot point, a character model or two thirds of an entire story, I get this unshakable feeling that my ideas are being taken slowly but surely. Don't get me wrong, there is the whole concept of "originality" versus anything that is truly "new and innovative". Most ideas are rehashed and reshaped in some different form and presented as a entirely new story. Take the concept of "Good and Evil" the oldest and most reused plot device in Human history. Hero fights against the evil tyrant/emperor/ruler who threatens the peace of the city/nation/world/universe and either alone or with the help of equally powerful allies rises up up to overthrow the evil overlord. "Damsel in Distress" is another one. Hero single handily takes on the bad guys and defeats them all to save the female protagonist. Ideas are retold over and over again, I understand that part......

Stories, Characters and Settings can be highly influential to any viewer. They are often redone from a pre-existing work and displayed as something "new". Think about a movie, book or game where you swore that you've seen the same concept before. Memes like this are recognizable almost instantly sometimes. Observe:

Evangelion released in Japan 1995 Pacific Rim would catch up in 2013

Lion King and Kimba the White Lion the latter of which preceded the popular Disney film

Heathcliff and Garfield. Heathcliff came out as a comic in 1973 and Garfield would first appear in 1978.

These are links that show some more coincidences. I am sure anyone involved with any creative process can sympathies with what I am going through right now.

This one for Cracked:

17 Famous Movies That Ripped Off From Lesser-Known Films

http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_656_17-famous-movies-that-ripped-off-from-lesser-known-films/

This one for Screen Rant:

Anime Films That Were Ripped Off By Hollywood Movies

http://screenrant.com/hollywood-movies-based-anime-japan/


For some reason the things that I create get swept up in some unseen thought stealing device operated by powers greater than mine. While I have been getting my computer fixed, writing the stories, screenplays and short stories, drawing character designs and settings, animating the stories, mingling with like minded artists and establishing social networks , and completing the copyright process (ALL of which takes a tremendous amount of time for a single individual) Disney will launch "Moana" late this year. It appears to be about a Pacific Island girl with a oar(?) who will embark on a adventure to "fulfill her ancestors' unfinished quest".

Links for "Moana"

http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/the-characters-of-moana?utm_source=wikia&utm_campaign=recirc&utm_medium=rail&utm_content=2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moana_(2016_film)

http://movies.disney.com/moana

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521164/

Looks interesting so far..... except certain things about the product look awfully similar to my own creation. Right now I am waiting for a response from the Library of Congress on approval for my work(s) before I upload  more material. This way I can be sure that no one will "steal" the idea that I've been working on for ages now. It isn't as though I've been blabbing to others about it either. I like to keep things quiet until I am finished with the work which takes a tremendous amount of time to finish. Anyone reading this blog and into long art projects knows that. The older entries contain bits and pieces of the the work I've mentioned. When I get the copyright certificate I will upload more work that is directly from the animation  But what I've seen from Disney as of lately is too strange.... Take a look at my own work and see if can spot any similarities.

Spot the connections! I did when I first caught wind of the new Disney film! 

I am not saying that Disney whole sale copied my idea but the similarities are unnerving. The last thing I want to be accused of is being "unoriginal" and a artistic thief. Even though the drawings aren't exactly the same (EX: my characters have dreadlocks, small tribal tattoos on their left upper arm, and are renowned martial artists) the characters in the upcoming Disney film share some common ground. They are from the Pacific Islands, mine are from a fictitious Pacific Island; they sport Native style apparel, and so do mine; they are brown skinned people who seem to be have a unique culture, and so are my own characters. That is why I had their place of origin in the Pacific Islands to begin with. Even their names made me look twice.  The main character has a grandma whose name is "TALA", my main character's name is "TALALELEI"!

Seeing the previews for the Disney film today just reminded me that this has happened before. In another animation that I am doing I have a character who never talks but she happens to be a sniper with a rather violent backstory. Her name is Justine and you will recognize her by her red hair and black outfit when I upload the cartoon. Metal Gear Solid Five was launched in 2015 with the character "Quiet" the sniper. When I first saw her I was speechless with the similarities! 

My character "Justine" and Quiet the Sniper may have been twins separated at birth

And this one for the Killzone game franchise on the Play Station. The villains wore black armor with glowing eyes and were called the "Helghast" Mine is a old drawing that I did along with part of a comic book I made back in High School. With some exceptions on the armor the characters do look alike. I based my drawings of these bad guys off of combat pilot flight gear. They also look a little similar to the swat team unit in the original Bubblegum Crisis anime series. 

Clad in similar armor these set of henchmen could practically team up with one another.

Keep in mind that I've been working on these concepts for years. Some of these concepts I started before college about six years ago.  But I also know I don't have anywhere near as much recognition as any multi billion dollar animation or video game studios. Disney and Kojima Productions will outpace any solo artist any time I afraid. So the absolute worst thing about being caught in this situation is that no one believes you. Most people will say you are just another copycat artist trying to cash in on someone else's idea. Hopefully by uploading this ahead of time I can prove that I am far above that!

With the copyright still in processing I will have to wait to put up more work. For now keep a eye out for idea stealing devices that secretly hover in the shadows. It appears that like ambushing me on a regular basis. 

REMEMBER: My cartoons are on You tube at the channel VENDIRIA HQ. Simply type in the title Vendiria to find it!