Disney apologizes for charging California elementary school $250 after ‘The Lion King’ showing

Disney CEO Bob Iger apologized to a California elementary school after they were charged $250 for showing “The Lion King” at a fundraiser.

“Our company @WaltDisneyCo apologizes to the Emerson Elementary School PTA,” Iger tweeted on Thursday. “I will personally donate to their fund raising initiative.”

Our company @WaltDisneyCo apologizes to the Emerson Elementary School PTA and I will personally donate to their fund raising initiative.

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) February 6, 2020

The apology comes after the Berkley school was slapped with a fine from Movie Licensing USA, the company that manages licensing for Disney and other major studios, for “illegally screening” the 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” Berkeleyside first reported last week. 

The school hosted a November “parent’s night out” fundraiser last year, which raised $800. 

Movie Licensing USA sent an email to the school two months later, asking the school to pay $250 for the screening as well as $250 per showing of the movie at any future events. 

“Any time a movie is shown outside of the home, legal permission is needed to show it, as it is considered a Public Performance,” read the email, which was obtained by CNN.

PTA President David Rose said that a parent bought the movie at Best Buy.

“He owned it. We literally had no idea we were breaking any rules,” Rose said. 

Barbara Nelson of Swank Motion Pictures, which operates Movie Licensing USA, emailed Emerson this week to say that Disney has instructed the company not pursue the fine, Berkeleyside reported.

“While we, and the Studios we represent, take unauthorized works seriously, we understand that this situation, done in error, was not a malicious act,” Nelson told the outlet.

The Hill has reached out to Movie Licensing USA for comment.