You're probably familiar with the work of Peter S. Beagle. If you're not, you owe it to yourself to discover this fine writer of fantasy and to treat yourself to one of his books. Peter will be a Guest of Honor at this year's Comic-Con International and I hope I get the chance to meet him.
One of his most acclaimed works was a book called The Last Unicorn, which was made into a popular animated feature. A couple tonweights of DVDs have reportedly been sold so you'd figure, hey, that Peter S. Beagle is probably raking in the bucks, right? Not so. I get a lot of e-mails asking me how movie deals work and how you can protect your interests when you make one. There's no easy answer beyond the obvious, which is to get a good lawyer and be wary…and even that doesn't work some of the time. It may help to note certain cautionary tales like the one recounted on this website which claims that Beagle is getting shafted.
I'm not taking sides on the contract dispute. There are always two sides and we have here but one. Still, it feels very wrong that the author of The Last Unicorn apparently hasn't shared in the proceeds from his creation, and I refer you to this as a cautionary note. I also refer you to this page where you can help him out by purchasing a Peter S. Beagle book. You won't be disappointed.