Disney is being sued by Kelly Knievel

Kelly Knievel, son of famous daredevil Evel Knievel has filed a lawsuit against the Disney and Pixar companies, claiming they used his dad's likeness without permission. Evel Knievel was known for his skills at doing what no one else had done before him. His daredevil stunts cost him many broken bones and hospital stays. Two of his most famous motorcycle jumps were at Wembley and Kings Island. On May 26, 1975, Knievel crashed in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London. He was trying to land a jump over "13 redundant single-deck AEC Merlin buses." He refused a stretcher and said that he had walked in and was going to walk out. He added that he was retiring but that was short-lived.

Five months later, on October 25, 1975, Knievel successfully jumped over 14 Greyhound buses, and traveled 133 feet. This would be the longest jump Knievel would ever make. This took place at Kings Island which is located near Cincinnati, Ohio and was the highest ratings in the history of ABC's The Wide World of Sports. The daredevil landed on the safety deck above the final bus, and for 24 years held the record for jumping the most buses on a Harley-Davidson. This record was broken in 1999 by Bubba Blackwell, who made it over 15 buses at 157 feet.

In Toy Story 4, there is a character named Duke Caboom who is a motorcycle daredevil who breaks his previous record. Disney says the suit is baseless but the younger Knievil believes that TS4 profited from the character who is very similar to a toy that was made in the 1970s' based on his father. Those who were familiar with the senior Knievil immediately made the connection from one look at Caboom. A judge must decide if Kelly is correct that Disney used his father's likeness without permission.

Duke Caboom's back story is that he is based on Canada's greatest stuntman. He rides his powerful Caboom stunt-cycle and is always ready, willing, and able to show off his various stunt poses with confidence and a little swag. As Toy Story 4 progresses it comes to light that Duke has never been able to do the stunts that are advertised in his toy commercial. For years, he has been sitting in an antique store, reliving his past failures. In the end of the movie Caboom successfully makes the jump of his life and his confidence is restored.

Kelly Knievel is an actor and producer who was born in 1960. He is known for Storyville (1997), Stuntman (2018), and The Evel Knievel Way (2020). and Storyville (1997). He has been married to his wife Shelli Knievel since November 23, 2002. Kelly is seeking unspecified damages that total more than $300,000 based on allegations that include unjust enrichment and false endorsement. Kelly Knievel, is the head of K and K Promotions, which has owned the publicity rights to Evil Knievel's name since 1998. Jeffrey R Epstein, corporate spokesman for The Walt Disney Co. said they will defend themselves against the claims which they say are baseless.

Kelly Knievel is the firstborn son of Robert Evel Knievel. His younger brother Robbie is also a daredevil in his own right. Lawsuits seem to run in the family as in 20o7 the elder Knievel sued Kanye West over the use of his image in the video Touch the Sky. There was some controversy with the daredevil saying that the rapper's music was not the place for his image, The two settled out of court and later met in person. Evel Knievel died shortly after from complications of diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis. Be on the lookout for updates once a final decision is rendered regarding Disney/Pixar and Kelly Knievel. According to Wiki Fandom, the character of Duke Kaboom was indeed inspired by Evel Knievel.