Kung Fu Panda was a massive (and totally unexpected) success for Dreamworks Animation when it it was released in 2008, grossing over half a billion dollars worldwide, and sparking an entire franchise, which included two more animated movie sequels.
As the old saying goes, though, “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems…”; with its breakout success, Kung Fu Panda also managed to attract the usual kind of fame leeches that come with any big new movies franchise – and in this case, one of those leeches was looking to feed heartily on Kung Fu Panda‘s success.
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That man in question was Jamye Gordon, who attempt to sue Dreamworks Animation for $12 million after claiming that he was the real inventor of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He filed the lawsuit in 2011, but was later discovered to have falsified the information supporting it – and that lie is going to cost him two years of his life spent in prison.
Deadline recently reported on the update that Gordon has been sentenced. The claim unraveled when it was discovered that Gordon had seen the trailer for Kung Fu Panda and decided to go back and reformat a project he had been working on, called Panda Power. During the trial, Gordon was caught deleting computer evidence he was supposed to turn over in discovery; falsified sketches; and lied during his civil deposition. If that all wasn’t enough, the big break in the case came when it was discovered that Gordon had actually traced his Panda Power sketches from a Disney Lion King coloring book!
After the scheme was discovered, Gordon was indicted in 2015, and convicted this past fall. The two years in prison can be seen as a mercy, as Gordon had faced up to 25 years for his crimes.
Meanwhile, the Kung Fu Panda franchise continues strong, entertaining children all over the world.
