It’s only been two years since Disney released a brand-new trading card game that took players into a magical world called Lorcana. In this world, certain individuals, called Illumineers, have the ability to harness enchanted ink. The Illumineers use that ink to summon powerful reflections of Disney characters, called Glimmers.
The Glimmers inhabit different regions of a vast area known as the Inklands. The heart of the Inklands lies in the magical structure known as the Great Illuminary. Within the Great Illuminary are the Halls of Lorcana, which hold every story ever imagined. Suddenly, the Illumineers vanish, and it is up to the players to protect the Great Illuminary and recover pieces of lore.
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Disney Lorcana took the world by storm, and in just a couple of years, it has created a very dedicated fanbase. Lorcana cards have become hot-ticket items, with some selling out in a matter of minutes. The game is so popular that a new quest is currently taking place in Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort.
The talented artists who design the Disney Lorcana cards can become incredibly well-known within the game community, and some can even gain celebrity-like status. That’s why the community was shocked when one Lorcana artist was accused of using artificial intelligence on some of his images.
What’s worse is that he was also accused of scamming customers by trying to sell those AI images as original pieces.
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The trouble began when X (formerly Twitter) user @Toon-Emu accused Disney Lorcana artist James C. Mulligan of scamming people at an Anime convention in New York City. They claimed that Mr. Mulligan was using artificial intelligence to help create some of his Disney artwork, then telling customers the art was one hundred percent original and selling it for hundreds of dollars.
The post quickly went viral, with someone from Disney Lorcana commenting that the company has a zero-tolerance policy for the use of any AI-generated images. The commenter said that they would be bringing Toon_Emu’s concern to the creative directors at Disney Lorcana.
Well, apparently, the commenter held true to their word, and multiple outlets reported that Mr. Mulligan had been fired from his position within the company after his use of AI was allegedly confirmed.
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In a long Facebook post, Mr. Mulligan denied the allegations against him. He said that he never used AI to create the Lorcana designs, and that he had not been fired. He said that he would like to share more information, but he cannot defend his work due to certain legal entanglements and without express written consent.
However, it appears that Mr. Mulligan’s story might not be what it seems.
A Disney Lorcana artist reached out to Inside the Magic with more information on the controversial situation that is still unfolding. The artist’s name is being withheld to protect their privacy, but their identity has been confirmed through professional pages.
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The Disney Lorcana artist clarified that Mr. Mulligan created three cards for the game — Flounder: Collector’s Companion, White Rabbit: Royal Herald, and Transformed Chef: Castle Stove. However, Mr. Mulligan was able to use his Disney art to gain a large following on social media and become one of the more well-known artists, even though many people have drawn more art for the cards.
While the reports about Mr. Mulligan have largely focused on his work for Disney Lorcana, there were allegedly some much more serious instances of theft that took place.
The Lorcana artist claims that it was also discovered that Mr. Mulligan had been tracing artwork made by Disney artist Jeff Merghart. Mr. Mulligan would then claim that the work was his own and sell the copied artwork across the country.
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Neither Disney nor Ravensburger has commented on the controversy surrounding Mr. Mulligan and the allegations that he used artificial intelligence to enhance his artwork. Fans were disappointed to hear what he was accused of, especially because he is a talented artist, and they said that he didn’t need to use AI.
It is important to note that these accusations are just against one Disney artist. Nearly all Disney artists work incredibly hard on their craft and do not use AI in any of their images. They take a great deal of pride in their work and use no shortcuts.
We do not know if Ravensburger will continue to sell Mr. Mulligan’s Lorcana cards, or if they will have a different artist create new cards for future Disney Lorcana packs.
What do you think about the ongoing controversy surrounding this Disney Lorcana artist? Do you think artists should never be allowed to use AI to enhance their images, or do you think it is something that was bound to happen? How do you think Disney should handle artists who use AI? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The post Fired Disney Artist Allegedly Copied Fellow Designers, Sold Traced Artwork appeared first on Inside the Magic.
