Disney is facing legal action over claims that its films Moana and Moana 2 copied plot elements from an independent animator’s screenplay.
Buck Woodall, the animator in question, filed a lawsuit in a California federal court on Friday, accusing Disney of appropriating ideas from his early 2000s animated project, Bucky.
Woodall is seeking damages of at least $10 billion (£8.25 billion). He alleges that he developed a screenplay and trailer for Bucky and shared details of the project in 2003 with Jenny Marchick, who was then the director of development at Mandeville Films.
According to the lawsuit, Mandeville had a first-look agreement with Disney, and Marchick requested materials such as production plans, character designs, and storyboards, while assuring Woodall that she could help get the project greenlit. Marchick now serves as DreamWorks Animation’s head of feature development.
The lawsuit outlines striking similarities between Moana, released in 2016, and Bucky, asserting that these likenesses “could not possibly have been accidental.”
Both stories center around a teenager who defies parental warnings to embark on a dangerous voyage across Polynesian waters, aiming to save the endangered land of a Polynesian island.
Other parallels include a recurring theme celebrating Polynesian beliefs in spiritual ancestors manifested as animals, a protagonist’s journey beginning with a turtle, the use of a symbolic necklace, the presence of a demigod adorned with a giant hook and tattoos, and the depiction of a giant creature concealed within a mountain.
Further allegations extend to Moana 2, released in November 2024, which, according to the lawsuit, mirrors elements from Bucky.
One example cited is a scene in which “Moana and her crew are sucked into a perilous whirlpool-like oceanic portal,” a plot device Woodall claims is unique to his project and could not have been developed independently.
The lawsuit asserts, “Moana was produced in the wake of Woodall’s delivery to the Defendants of virtually all constituent parts necessary for its development and production after more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animated film project.”
Woodall previously attempted to sue Disney over Moana, but U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall dismissed the case in November 2023, ruling that the lawsuit was filed too late to address claims regarding the 2016 film.
However, the release of Moana 2, which debuted to $224.2 million at the box office, has allowed Woodall to reopen the legal battle.
Moana director Ron Clements filed a declaration during the initial lawsuit, stating, “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 also submitted documents detailing the origin and development of Moana, including story ideas and pitch materials, as evidence against Woodall’s claims.
