A filmmaker is suing The Walt Disney Company for copyright infringement, claiming that the media conglomerate’s hit movies “Moana” and “Moana 2” copied substantial parts of a script he wrote.
The lawsuit, filed Friday by Buck Woodall in California federal court, claims the Disney films exhibit “breathtaking” similarities to his script, “Bucky the Wave Warrior” or “Bucky,” an animated feature he says was inspired by his “unique exposure” to Polynesian culture.
Woodall is seeking “at least $10 billion” in damages and 2.5% of the gross revenue from “Moana 2” and related merchandise, a sum he estimated to be “at least $5 billion.”
Both “Moana” and “Moana 2” were runaway hits for Disney, with the sequel setting the record for the biggest Thanksgiving weekend debut in box office history (it raked in $221 million in its five-day domestic open).
In addition to Disney, production company Mandeville Films and former Mandeville exec Jenny Marchick (currently head of feature development for DreamWorks Animation) are named as defendants, per People.
The timing of the legal action is less than ideal for Disney. The studio is reportedly hoping “Moana 2” will garner a Best Animated Feature Oscar nod when the Academy announces nominations, which was extended because of the devastating LA fires.
According to Woodall’s lawsuit, the alleged similarities between the “Moana” movies and his script include a teenage protagonist on “a dangerous voyage across Polynesian waters” to save an “endangered” island, “ancient spirits manifested as animals which guide and guard the living,” a symbolic necklace central to the story and a demigod with a giant hook and tattoos, among others.
Woodall claimed that he began sharing his ideas for “Bucky” with Marchick when she was at Mandeville Films in 2003. At the time, the company had a “first look” deal with Disney, per the lawsuit.
The filmmaker also alleged that over years of development, Marchick “prodded” him for more content tied to his “Bucky” concept — including an animated trailer, storyboards and a full script, all of which he said he provided.
On “the eve of the release of ‘Moana’” in 2016, Marchick allegedly told Woodall that she wasn’t sure any of the materials he sent her “made it beyond her desk,” according to the lawsuit. However, Woodall contended that the content was already in Disney’s hands when he submitted the final draft script of “Bucky” in 2011 to Marchick.
In his lawsuit, Woodall claimed the materials he made for “Bucky,” including a trailer, were registered with the Writers Guild of America, and it received federal copyright protections in 2004 before being updated in 2014.
The animator’s complaint is his second against Disney over the “Moana” franchise. In November, a judge dismissed Woodall’s previous suit over the first “Moana” movie, saying he filed too late.
Woodall’s allegation that some of his original material was copied and incorporated in “Moana 2” has renewed his hopes for a legal showdown, given that the sequel was released only two months ago.
According to his new lawsuit, Woodall is seeking a jury trial.
The Post has reached out to The Walt Disney Company for comment.
