Disney slammed with $10 billion lawsuit over popular movie

Despite the growing competition in the film industry, Disney has maintained its status as the world’s leading entertainment producer and provider.

This multibillion-dollar company has been known for developing some of history’s most iconic animated films for over a century. Films that continue to be watched by multiple generations and remain relevant to this day.

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‘Moana 2’ is one of Disney’s latest animated film releases. With a track record of successful films, it should come as no surprise that it would perform incredibly well within its first days at movie theaters. It broke the domestic record for the highest-grossing movie during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend and has reached a total of approximately $250 million in domestic ticket sales during its theatrical run since.

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However, the happy news of this film’s success may have just been tainted by a recently filed lawsuit containing allegations that may damage the ‘Moana’ franchise and threaten its future. 

Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson attend the UK Premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana 2” at Cineworld Leicester Square.

Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

Disney sued by animator over copyright infringement in the making of ‘Moana’ and ‘Moana 2’

On Friday, writer, producer, and artist Buck Woodall filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of California against the Walt Disney Company  (DIS) , along with its multiple film, television, and animation divisions, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mandeville Films, and DreamWork’s Animation Head of Features Development Jenny Marchick over four counts of copyright infringements.  

In the lawsuit, Woodall alleges that Disney and Marchick stole various ideas and elements from ‘Bucky,’ a Polynesian-inspired animated film he wrote, and “willfully, maliciously, and intentionally” used them to create ‘Moana’ in 2016 and ‘Moana 2’ in 2024.

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The animator says he first presented his screenplay to Marchick and Mandeville Films, his employer at the time, in 2003. She then took it to Disney and shared his work under her name in hopes of starting a project.

Woodall claims that over the next few years, he sent Marchick large amounts of intellectual property from ‘Bucky’ and ‘Bucky the Wave Warrior,’ including production plans, character designs, storyboards, and a copy of the final draft in 2011 while she was working as a consultant for original movies at Disney, under the presumption that she would get his film approved and made. 

Accuser lists all the similarities between ‘Bucky’ and the ‘Moana’ franchise

The plaintiff backed his claims by listing multiple similarities between ‘Bucky’ and the ‘Moana’ franchise, “including the major themes and ideas, script outline, character development, illustrations, and budgets.

As stated in the lawsuit, ‘Bucky’ and the ‘Moana’ franchise both “tell the story about a teenager who defies parental warnings and embarks on a dangerous voyage across Polynesian waters to save the endangered land of a Polynesian island.”

Additionally, they both feature ancient spirits manifested as animals and have various characters with similar storylines or appearance descriptions.

Woodall has previously tried suing Disney over alleged copyright infringement in ‘Moana’ movie

Woodall claims he got copyright protection for ‘Bucky’ in 2004 and updated it in 2014, which would make all of Marchick’s alleged wrongdoings illegal, further backing his lawsuit. 

The plaintiff had tried suing Disney in 2022 over the first ‘Moana’ movie released in 2016. However, a district judge ruled in November 2024 that he had sued too late.  

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When the first lawsuit was filed, Disney claimed no one involved in the development of “Moana” was aware of Woodall’s ‘Bucky’ project. Ron Clements, the director of ‘Moana,’ responded to the first lawsuit in court by 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.”

In this latest lawsuit, Woodall is seeking $10 billion in damages, a minimum of 2.5% of gross revenues from ‘Moana’ of at least $5 billion, and all revenues of any kind that the ‘Moana’ franchise has generated and will generate.

Disney did not respond to a request for comment. 

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