'The lion sleeps tonight' court case

The family of the South African man who came up with the melody for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is going after Disney.

The family of Solomon Linda is suing Disney for one-point-six million dollars for using the song in "The Lion King," according to the BBC.

Linda originally sold the copyright, but under British law at that time, the copyright reverted to his heirs 25 years after his death.

Linda died in 1962, which means the copyright reverted in 1987 -- a full seven years before "The Lion King" came out. Linda's family says they've only received 15-thousand dollars from the song, although it's believed to have earned at least 15 million dollars because of its use in "The Lion King."

The suit will be filed in South Africa next week. A Disney representative was unavailable for comment.