Daniher calls her vehicle the "Vanicorn" and, according to her lawsuit, it's the result of her lifelong love of the mythical beasts.
"At the risk of belaboring the point, the Plaintiff has had a real thing for unicorns, for a very long time, and they have been a central theme and subject matter of her artistic work, throughout the entirety of her career," states the complaint.
According to Daniher, a San Francisco Magazine piece sparked Pixar's attention and the company reached out about renting her vehicle for a special event in September 2018. She claims she was told
"The Vanicorn would be used for an event limited to a one day music festival/activity day for Pixar employees and families' and that the Vanicorn 'would just be a show piece and not used in any way other than a visual prop.'"
On May 31, 2019, Daniher realized that Pixar was producing
Onward, a tale of two blue elves trying to reunite with their dead father who travel around in a vehicle that looks uncannily like the Vanicorn. She posted the two vans on Instagram and wrote,
"WOW! Sooo, do y’all think Pixar Disney stole the Vanicorn for their movie #onward ????"
Daniher's lawyers, Jared Weinstock and J. Conor Corcoran, argue the contract for the van rental explicitly prohibits any photos, video or visual representations of the Vanicorn for any purpose other than that event.
Daniher is suing for copyright infringement, violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, violation of the Visual Artists Rights Act and violation of the California Artists Protection Act. In addition to seeking damages, Daniher is asking the court for an injunction barring defendants from distributing, marketing or selling infringing advertisements, merchandise and the film itself and she wants a declaration that defendants' related copyrights are invalid.
Disney has yet to respond to the complaint. We'll keep you updated on further developments in this ongoing dispute.
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind “Monsters University.” “Onward” releases in theaters on March 6, 2020.
Onward hits theaters on March 6, 2020