YouTube Creator Says Disney “Stole” His Scene for ‘Star Wars’ Show
A YouTube filmmaker has accused The Walt Disney Company of copying his work. The allegation has quickly circulated across social media, raising new questions about creative oversight during a period of transition for the Star Wars franchise and its Disney+ strategy.
Disney’s television era has defined much of the franchise’s recent output. Series like The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett have drawn mixed reactions, ranging from critical praise to sharp division among long-time viewers. The results have left Lucasfilm reconsidering how the franchise should evolve.
The response to The Acolyte intensified that debate. The High Republic series drew criticism for pacing and lore decisions and became a target of sustained harassment from groups Leslye Headland recently described as “fascists and racists.” Its reception added pressure to a franchise already navigating streaming fatigue and rising expectations.
Lucasfilm appears to be shifting focus. The Mandalorian & Grogu has completed filming for its May 2026 release. Shawn Levy is developing a separate Star Wars feature starring Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. A Rey-focused film remains in development, though the timeline remains unclear after several writers left the project.
A Steady Performer on Disney+: ‘Star Wars: Visions’
One of Disney+’s most consistent titles has been Star Wars: Visions, which released its third volume on October 29, 2025.
The anthology allows global studios to create standalone shorts set in — or inspired by — the Star Wars universe. The format has helped the series stand out within Lucasfilm’s broader streaming slate.
Each episode is produced independently, with its own visual style and narrative approach. That creative freedom has given the show a strong reputation among animation fans. It has also placed it at the center of an unexpected plagiarism dispute.
YouTube Filmmaker Accuses Disney of Copying His Lightsaber Duel
A YouTube filmmaker has accused Disney of lifting an action sequence from his 2019 fan film and incorporating it into Star Wars: Visions.
Lorenz Hideyoshi, creator of Dark Jedi: A Star Wars Story, shared a comparison online claiming that a lightsaber duel in Season 2, Episode 7 matches his choreography “beat for beat.” His split-screen video showing the two scenes has now circulated widely on Instagram and Reddit.
He captioned the post, “When Disney blatantly steals your action design,” placing his footage above the Visions episode titled “The Bandits of Golak.” Many viewers responding to the post said the scenes appear unusually similar.
“Why @disney?” he wrote. “Is it because we made a non-profit tribute fan film of one of your IPs and now you feel justified in stealing from this pool of creative output? Maybe either a) pay your animators more or b) hire an action designer.”
After Hideyoshi shared the footage, fans began analyzing it frame by frame. He alleges that not only the choreography but also the framing, timing, and camera movements align closely with his work.
It is worth noting that this episode was not created directly by Disney or Lucasfilm. Visions assigns each short to a global animation studio, and the installment in question was produced by India-based 88 Pictures. Even so, Disney owns Lucasfilm, and fans are asking how a sequence this similar passed through approvals.
This isn’t the first time a Star Wars project has faced such claims. In 2021, Raven Sun Creative — owned by a former Universal executive — filed a lawsuit accusing Disney of patent infringement over the escape-pod drop sequence in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Do you think Star Wars: Visions copied Lorenz Hideyoshi’s fan film?
