Did North Koreans Draw The Lion King?
(Via. ROK Drop) It may be possible, considering North Korea has a thriving animation industry for awhile
BEIJING - North Korea is well known for its nuclear ambitions. But it is relatively little-known fact that the country is a hidden outsourcing mecca for the international animation industry, producing such well-known movies as The Lion King.
Even while North Korea has been under US-led sanctions that include a ban on commercial trade, several US animated films have allegedly been outsourced to the country, according to Beijing-based businessman Jing Kim, who says he was involved with American animation producer Nelson Shin’s filmmaking business in the Stalinist pariah state.
The article notes that Disney likely legally obtained their services by getting a division in Europe to do the outsourcing. It also appears it was fairly inexpensive, $170,000 of a $79.3 million budget. It is not even sure if the animators actually got paid for their labor. So the next time you watch a non-CG animated feature, think about who drew it. It could be a North Korean.
