Caterpillar sues over ‘George 2’

Caterpillar Inc. has sued to block next week’s U.S. release of Disney’s “George of the Jungle 2,” alleging that the direct-to-DVD movie damages the heavy equipment maker’s reputation.

The Peoria-based company’s trademark infringement lawsuit contends the movie ties Caterpillar to an “evil attacking army” of industrialists seeking to destroy the jungle, a central theme of the Disney sequel.

Caterpillar contends the scenes will have a negative effect on children and could affect the company’s line of children’s products, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Peoria against the Walt Disney Co. and Buena Vista Entertainment.

“While we have great respect for Caterpillar, we consider this without legal merit and we expect the audience will view these sequences for their comedic value and not take them seriously,” a Disney statement said.

Caterpillar contends its name and its corporate logo are featured prominently in a final battle that pits George and his computer-animated animal friends against an army of Caterpillar Wheel Loaders that a narrator calls “bulldozing bullies.”

The lawsuit asks for a temporary restraining order to block Tuesday’s scheduled release.