NEWS: Disney Owes $600k In Lawsuit Issue Regarding ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Production

Out of all the live-action remakes that Disney has produced, Beauty and the Beast (2017) is a fan-favorite.

The movie stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, who makes a very convincing Beast. Except… the ways in which Disney made Stevens into a convincing Beast are now causing the Company to face a serious lawsuit. Let’s talk about it.

According to Reuters, Disney used MOVA Contour software to transform Stevens into the Beast that we all know from Disney lore. This software was created by Rearden LLC, and Disney reportedly did not have permission to use it to render the face of the Beast.

Now, Disney is facing a $600,000 lawsuit for copyright damages for using another company’s motion-capture technology. According to Rearden attorney Steve Berman, an Oakland jury awarded Rearden more than $250,000 in actual damages and recommended that Disney pay upwards of  $345,000 of movie profits to Rearden. Rearden originally requested $38 million from Disney, which the jury denied.

This isn’t the first time Rearden has sued Disney, though, as the company — founded by former Apple scientist Steve Perlman — claimed that Disney used Reardon’s Contour facial-capture software by working with Digital Domain (who acquired the software after a rogue employee sold it) to utilize the technology in the film.

We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you’re always in the loop.

Looking for more Disney movie news? Click here! 

Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you seen Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast? Let us know in the comments.