Disney Suing Theater Over LION KING, MARY POPPINS Copyright Infringement

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is taking legal action against a Pennsylvania theater group, maintaining that they are showcasing some its most iconic characters and songs in a new musical titled 'Broadway: Now and Forever.'

The show makes reference to such Broadway productions as The Producers, Billy Elliot, Wicked, Jersey Boys and Disney's Mary Poppins and The Lion King. As a result, the studio and some of its partners have filed a lawsuit against Entertainment Theatre Group, currently working under the name of American Music Theatre.

In its advertisement for the production, the musical claims to provide audiences with a "larger-than-life theatrical compilation of unforgettable music from the hottest new blockbusters to all-time favorite classics... Broadway: Now & Forever recreates the greatest moments ever on stage."

In their complaint, Disney provides photographic evidence that a woman portraying Mary Poppins "dances with children and flies above the stage with her umbrella open." The studio is officially suing for "copyright infringement, trademark infringement, unfair trade practices and more, seeking damages for willful infringement after saying the defendants have refused to stop the show even after being warned. Disney says this is an "exceptional case" under trademark law."

The defendant has thus far not commented on the impending lawsuit.