Does a film having a similar setting to another necessarily make it a rip off?

Hey guys, it's John, and I'm finally here with my first blog post. Now for my first post I decided to focus on something film related, since I am a big movie guy. And to get this topic rolling, let's start with something that I have loved ever since I was a small child: Disney.

Ah yes, this is a company that have played a huge role in damn near everybody's lives. Everybody has seen at least one Disney film in their lives and everybody knows at least one Disney song word for word by heart. So what's gotten me to focus on Disney today you ask? Well it has something to do with the motherland: Africa.

Now granted Disney has already done a movie set in Africa, and it's called The Lion King. But here's the thing, as much as I love The Lion King, it was just about a bunch of talking animals and I've always wanted a Disney film that focuses on the actual people of Africa and the various rich cultures and folklore that they have to offer. And when I talk about this to some people, they usually agree with me. But of course, there's always that one little prick that says something along the lines of "ugh, why would they need to do another movie set in Africa? It would just be a rip off of The Lion King!". See folks, this right here is what really pisses me off.

And it's not just me, a lot of people get this insanely stupid response whenever they say how cool it would be to have another Disney movie set in Africa. Why is it that people like these think that just because a movie has a similar setting to another makes it a rip off? For one thing, Africa isn't just one big giant Savannah with animals and Bushmen running around. Trust me I've been there before, and there are plenty of cities, towns, mountains, deserts, and beaches around the continent. So if you honestly believe all the images of this continent that the media constantly feeds you, you've got another thing coming. Further more, a film having a similar location to another is not a bad thing in the slightest as long as the film makers give the film it's own unique identity.

For example let's take a look at these two films made by Disney and Dreamworks respectively:

Alright folks, now right off the bat, tell me what these two movies share in common. What's that?They're both set in China and they both feature characters doing martial arts? Correct! Now does this mean that Kung Fu Panda is a rip off of Mulan? Absolutely not! 

Why? Because Mulan is about a girl who runs away from home to take the place of her elderly father in a war against the huns. Now here is where the thing about identity comes in. The things that make Mulan completely unique from Panda is that for one thing, it's based on an ancient Chinese poem titled The Ballad of Hua Mulan. Another thing is that it features, you know, human beings and like all Disney films from the 90's, it's a musical. That and aside from a dragon voiced Eddie Murphy and grumpy ancestral spirits, the film is rather grounded and realistic (well as realistic as a Disney film could get). Now let's take a look at Kung Fu Panda.

What are some things that make Dreamworks' Chinese centric film different from Disney's effort? Well unlike Mulan, Kung Fu Panda is a completely original idea. Also, this movie has anthropomorphic animals doing martial arts, and on top of that, it's certainly a lot more fantastical than Mulan (Seriously, the villain of the third film has been confirmed to have legit superpowers this time around). And lastly, this movie is not a musical. 

See? Even though the location of both films are similar, both Disney and Dreamworks made sure that their respective films had things that made them stand out from the crowd. But let's take a look at some other films that Disney and Pixar have done. The Hunchback of Notredame is about a deformed man under the watch of a cruel judge who wants to be accepted by society, Beauty and the Beast is about a young woman falling in love with a cursed prince, and Ratatouille is about a rat who wants to become a chef. Now what's the one thing that all these movies share in common? They're all set in France. That's it.  Even though all of these movies are set in the same country all three of them have their own unique identity. And it doesn’t stop there, turns out Disney DID have another movie set in Africa. And you know what that movie is called? 

And is Tarzan a rip off of The Lion King in any shape or form? NO! 

 In conclusion, if Disney can give all of the films I mentioned their own identity, then they can do the same for another movie set in the dark continent. Plain and simple. And that folks completes what I have to say on this topic. Until then, I'll see you guys later.