Animator Sues Disney for $10 Billion Over Alleged Moana 2 Copyright Theft.
An animator has filed a lawsuit against Disney, accusing the company of appropriating the concept for the Moana franchise from his long-standing screenplay without his permission. Buck Woodall submitted the lawsuit in a federal court in California on Friday, claiming that Disney incorporated numerous elements from his screenplay, titled Bucky, into the creation of Moana.
The original Moana film, released in 2016, tells the story of a courageous Polynesian teenager, Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, who embarks on a journey to save her community. The film, which earned over $680 million globally, introduced Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, who serves as Moana's mentor. Moana 2, which grossed $989.8 million worldwide and is predicted to be nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Feature, continues the story of Moana’s oceanic journey.
Woodall's lawsuit follows an earlier case filed in 2022, which was dismissed on the grounds of a delayed claim. He now cites the premiere of Moana 2 as an opportunity to file a new lawsuit against Disney, which alleges a "fraudulent enterprise" involving the theft of Woodall's copyrighted works by Jenny Marchick, former development director at Mandeville Films and now head of development at DreamWorks Animation.
According to the lawsuit, Woodall provided Marchick with a screenplay and trailer for Bucky in 2003, which led to numerous requests for additional materials, including character designs, production plans, budgets, and storyboards. Woodall asserts that Marchick assured him she would assist in getting the film approved.
The lawsuit further states, “Disney's Moana was created following Woodall's provision to the defendants of nearly all essential components required for its development and production, after over 17 years of inspiration and effort dedicated to his animated film project."
Woodall claims that Bucky and Moana share key elements, including the setting in an ancient Polynesian village, a perilous journey to rescue a homeland, and encounters with animal-shaped spirits. Specific similarities highlighted in the lawsuit include the rooster and pig companions, the Kakamora warrior tribe, and a whirlpool that serves as a portal. “Moana and her crew are sucked into a perilous whirlpool-like oceanic portal, another dramatic and unique device-imagery found in Plaintiffs materials that could not possibly have been developed by chance or without malicious intentions,” the suit states.
Woodall further asserts that he obtained copyright protection for his Bucky materials in 2004, with an update to the copyright in 2014. He claims that although Bucky was never fully developed, Marchick exploited legal loopholes to transfer his materials to Disney.
The animator is seeking damages of 2.5 percent of the gross revenue from Moana, which has earned approximately $10 billion globally, along with an injunction to prevent further infringement of his copyrighted works.
In response to Woodall’s initial lawsuit, Disney maintained that none of the individuals involved in the development of Moana had encountered Woodall’s materials. Director Ron Clements stated, “Moana was not inspired by or based in any way on Woodall or his Bucky project which I learned of for the first time after this lawsuit was filed.”
Disney has provided various documents, including story concepts, research materials, early drafts of the screenplay, and travel journals, to substantiate their claim that Moana was developed independently of Woodall’s project.
Disney has been involved in numerous copyright lawsuits over the years, stemming from various areas, including intellectual property, creative works, and even trademark disputes. Some of the most prominent cases include:
- The Little Mermaid (1990s): A notable case in the 1990s involved Disney’s The Little Mermaid. A group of animators and artists claimed that Disney had stolen creative ideas and art from independent artists. However, Disney successfully defended the case, stating that the similarities were coincidental.
- KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (2007): This case was more about patents than copyrights, but it involved Disney's actions regarding technology. Disney was one of the companies listed in the case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that patents could be challenged for being obvious, which affected how patents involving their theme park technology were handled.
- Frozen and "The Snow Queen" (2014): Disney was sued by the heirs of author Hans Christian Andersen, claiming that the film Frozen was based on Andersen's The Snow Queen. Disney defended the film, asserting that the story was a loose adaptation, and the case was dismissed.
- Copyright Infringement: "Zootopia" and "The Jungle Book": Disney has faced accusations of copying ideas for films like Zootopia and The Jungle Book from lesser-known creators. These suits often claim that Disney used the creators' intellectual property without compensation. However, Disney often argues that their works are inspired by general themes and archetypes rather than specific works.
- Marvel and "The Avengers": Marvel, which is now owned by Disney, has had its fair share of copyright and intellectual property lawsuits, especially involving comic book characters. Several creators, like the heirs of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko and The Avengers co-creator Jack Kirby, have filed lawsuits seeking a share of the revenue generated by the movie adaptations of the comics.
- Copyright Infringement in "Moana": As discussed earlier, Moana was the subject of a lawsuit filed by animator Buck Woodall, who claims that Disney copied ideas from his original screenplay. The lawsuit was based on accusations that Disney used material Woodall had submitted for a project called Bucky without proper credit or permission.
- The "Steamboat Willie" Trademark Dispute: One of the most famous copyright and trademark disputes surrounding Disney involves Mickey Mouse and the Steamboat Willie cartoon, one of the first Mickey Mouse appearances. Disney has consistently fought to keep the trademark and copyrights for Mickey Mouse, even as the original copyright approaches expiration.
