According to TMZ, a Peruvian author named Isabella Tanikumi says Disney didn't base its hit movie Frozen on the Hans Christian Anderson story "The Snow Queen," as it claims – rather, she says, the story was based on her own personal tale of woe detailed in her 2010 book Yearnings of the Heart.
The book's description on Amazon says:
This is a compelling, introspective account of the life of Isabella TaniKumi, who takes her readers on a journey through various phases of her remarkable life- from her family's survival during the devastating earthquake of 1970 in Huaraz, Peru, to the trials of overcoming heartbreaks of her youth. Conquering personal insecurities led to exploring the reaches of her intellect while facing the tragic, and untimely death of her beloved sister, Laura. Despite language barriers and the consequent obstacles of fitting in, Tanikumi wittily narrates her struggles with her assimilation into American life and culture. Forging many enduring friendships most notably with Julie, who rescued her from the depths of grief. Tanikumi also interweaves a dialogue with her long lost love Eduardo. This novel tacitily and expressly addresses Eduardo as a salient recipient of her reflections. Ultimately, Tanikumi is able to share her gratitude and joy as well as her insatiable thirst for life.
(Skip down to the comments if you have some time to kill, where the Amazon "community" has its fun with the controversy.)
Tanikumi wants $250 million from Disney for her trouble.
This wouldn't be the first time an author claimed that Disney plagiarized a plotline and characters for a movie. Last year, Royce Matthew sued Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer for allegedly stealing a concept and storyline he wrote called Supernatural Pirates and turning it into the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean.
