A filmmaker is suing The Walt Disney Company for copyright infringement, alleging that significant portions of a script he produced were plagiarized in the media giant’s popular films “Moana” and “Moana 2.”
Buck Woodall filed the case in a federal court in California on Friday, claiming that the Disney movies have “breathtaking” parallels to his script for “Bucky the Wave Warrior,” also known as “Bucky,” an animated picture that he claims was influenced by his “unique exposure” to Polynesian culture.
In addition to 2.5% of the total income from “Moana 2” and related items, which he estimated to be “at least $5 billion,” Woodall is requesting “at least $10 billion” in damages.
Disney’s “Moana” and “Moana 2” were both huge hits, with the latter earning $221 million during its five-day domestic run, the largest Thanksgiving weekend opening in history.
According to People, defendants include Disney, production firm Mandeville Films, and former Mandeville executive Jenny Marchick, who is now head of picture development at DreamWorks Animation.
For Disney, the timing of the lawsuit is not great. When the Academy announces nominations, which were postponed due to the horrific fires in Los Angeles, the studio is allegedly hopeful that “Moana 2” will receive a Best Animated Feature Oscar mention.
Woodall’s lawsuit claims that “ancient spirits manifested as animals which guide and guard the living,” a demigod with a giant hook and tattoos, a teenage protagonist on “a dangerous voyage across Polynesian waters” to save a “endangered” island, and a symbolic necklace are among the similarities between his script and the “Moana” films.
According to Woodall, he started talking to Marchick about his ideas for “Bucky” in 2003 while she was working at Mandeville Films. According to the lawsuit, the business had a “first look” agreement with Disney at the time.
The director also claimed that during the course of years of development, Marchick “prodded” him for additional material related to his “Bucky” concept, which he allegedly supplied. This included an animated trailer, storyboards, and a complete script.
According to the lawsuit, Marchick allegedly told Woodall that she wasn’t certain any of the information he supplied her “made it beyond her desk” on “the eve of the release of ‘Moana'” in 2016. However, Woodall said that when he gave Marchick the final draft of the “Bucky” script in 2011, the content was already in Disney’s possession.
Woodall alleged in his lawsuit that the trailer and other materials he created for “Bucky” were registered with the Writers Guild of America and that the film was protected by federal copyright in 2004 before being updated in 2014.
This is the animator’s second complaint against Disney regarding the “Moana” property. A judge dismissed Woodall’s earlier lawsuit in November over the original “Moana” film, stating that it was submitted too late.
Given that “Moana 2” was only released two months ago, Woodall’s claim that some of his original work was plagiarized and used in the film has rekindled his desire for a legal battle.