Another reason why
The Lion King couldn't have plagiarized
Kimba the White Lion is that in the original Japanese manga and anime, his name is Leo. When the series was broadcast in 1966, NBC changed Leo's name by taking the Swahili word for lion, "simba," and changed the first letter to create "Kimba"
according to this source. Since the product was of Japanese origin, it's best to use the names that Osamu Tezuka created, not the names created by the American dubbing team.
As far as I'm concerned, the name, Simba, is a common African name as it was the title of a 1955 movie and the brand name for chips produced in South Africa.
I have yet to find a verified source that Disney was attempting to purchase the rights of the series in order to remake it, although just about every blog and forum articles that discusses this topic repeats this. However, I did come across this book titled
Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews which covers the controversy in a non-bias, well researched approach.
As for Roger Allers, it's disappointing
Kingdom of the Sun wasn't completed, although
The Prince and the Pauper is a well-known story, but from what I've researched on it, it didn't have enough originality to make it stand on its own. If it were released, I imagined the film would have been received like
Pocahontas, which was praised for its colorful animation and music, but lacking in storytelling.
Tam Lin had a promising story so it's shame that Michael Eisner let his feud with Roy Disney get in the way of a potential animated classic. So, I wish him the best, and I cannot wait to see
The Prophet.