Netizens have pointed out striking visual similarities between the new Body Roll music video and the 2022 Netflix hit ‘Jibaro, Alberto Mielgo’s famous animated episode ‘Love, Death + Robots’ Season 3. A few days after its release, the music video for ‘Body Roll’, a new collaboration between dancers and actors Nora Fatehi and rapper Honey Singhhas entered the discussion. The video hit 2 million views on YouTube within hours of its drop on Saturday, with a growing number of viewers claiming it is a direct ripoff of ‘Jibaro’, a critically acclaimed episode of Netflix’s animated anthology series ‘Love, Death + Robots’. The internet doesn’t talk about comments ranging from “inspired” to “complete copy”.
What’s going on in the ‘Body Roll’ music video?
The video for ‘Body Roll’ opens with a man dressed in medieval-style clothing running through a forest towards a sparkling stream. As she bends down to drink the water, the camera shows her wearing jewelry and tattoos all over her body. He is then stunned to see a woman, Nora Fatehi, emerging from the lake in an elaborate golden costume with ornate ornaments, looking like a supernatural mermaid. The scene cuts to a dance sequence with Nora’s backup dancers. The lush, dreamy visual palette immediately drew comparisons to very specific content fans had seen before.
What is ‘Jibaro’ and why do people compare the two?
‘Jibaro’ is the ninth and final episode of Season 3 of Netflix’s ‘Love, Death + Robots’, which premiered in 2022. Directed by Oscar-winning animator Alberto Mielgo and running for around 17 minutes, the episode follows the lone conqueror of a group ambushed in the Amazon jungle. His downfall comes at the hands of a supernatural mermaid-like entity, clad entirely in gold, bejeweled that emerges from a lake in the forest. Conquistador himself is covered in tattoos and piercings. The episode received near-universal acclaim for its visual painting style and immersive storytelling, and is one of the outstanding works of modern animation.The parallels that viewers drew between ‘Body Roll’ and ‘Jibaro’ were not subtle: a bejeweled golden woman rising from a forest lake, a tattooed male figure drawn to her, and an equally ethereal, opulent atmosphere. These were the entire visual basis of the opening sequences of both.
Internet reactions to ‘Body Roll’
The moment the video went live, the comparisons started. Content creator Filmy Sonia posted a side-by-side comparison reel on Instagram on Sunday that went viral, drawing more attention to the alleged similarities.On YouTube, one commenter wrote: “Love, Death and Robots’ ‘Jibaro’ is a giveaway… But love the twist!!!” Another was more direct: “The visuals are copied from Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots.”A third simply declared, “Copy cats cannot create the original.” Another commented: “It’s called steal. Don’t inspire.”Instagram users were equally candid. A comment below the video on Nora Fatehi’s official handle read, “Orignal banao netflix sab dekhate hai aj kal”“I just saw the teaser, and I felt this wasn’t Jibaro? And it sure was a complete copy,” read a comment on Filmy Sonia’s post. While some commentators tried to soften the criticism by using the word “inspired”, others firmly pushed back. “Calling something ‘inspired’ is hard to digest when Bollywood has a history of copying,” wrote one user. “It really drives me crazy when original art is copied without credit. And how inspired can you be to copy the entire sequence?”Neither Nora Fatehi, Honey Singh nor their production teams have issued any public statements acknowledging or crediting Jibaro as a reference or inspiration at the time of writing.
All about ‘Love, Death + Robots’ and ‘Jibaro’ episode
‘Love, Death + Robots’ is a Netflix animated anthology series produced by Tim Miller (‘Deadpool’) and David Fincher. Each episode is a self-contained short film, usually an adaptation of a sci-fi, horror or fantasy short story, and the series has won numerous Emmy Awards since its 2019 premiere. The show is known for pushing the boundaries of animation, with episodes ranging from photorealistic CGI to hand-drawn 2D.‘Jibaro’, directed by Alberto Mielgo, who won an Oscar for his Pixar short “The Windshield Wiper”, is one of the best pieces of animation produced in the streaming era. Girvan ‘Swirv’ Bramble lends his talents to the titular role. The episode has no dialogue, telling its entire story through movement, music and visuals, which makes the comparison to the opening sequence of Body Roll even more striking for those in the know.
About Nora Fatehi and Honey Singh
Nora Fatehi is a Canadian-Moroccan actress and dancer who rose to fame in India through her appearances in Bollywood dance numbers like ‘Dilbar’, ‘Garmi’ and ‘Naach Meri Rani’. Honey Singh is one of India’s biggest commercial hits, and has been in charge of chart toppers for two decades. Body Roll marks their first collaboration, and despite the controversy, the video’s views continue to climb, suggesting that the controversy itself may be driving traffic.
