Jeffrey Scott, a screenwriter on the original 2d-animated Muppet Babies series, has lost a lawsuit targeting Disney’s recent reboot. He alleged that the new series infringed a production bible he created for the original, but the case was sunk by his own 2003 bankruptcy.
According to the complaint, which was filed in a California federal court last October, Scott owns the production bible he created for the original show, which was produced by Marvel Productions and The Jim Henson Company and aired in 1984–91. The complaint states: “The Muppet Babies Production Bible created the show’s nursery setting, the child versions of the characters, the mix of entertainment and education, and the blueprint for its stories.”
Scott accused Disney of “misappropriation” of his contributions to Muppet Babies with its reboot, which premiered in 2018. The complaint states that he pitched a reboot to Disney executives back in 2016.