Disney has been hit with a copyright lawsuit alleging that the popular Moana franchise was lifted from a decades-old storyline without the writer’s consent. The writer is now seeking $10 billion in a new copyright claim.
An animator is suing Disney for allegedly stealing the idea for the House of Mouse’s Moana films, which he says were almost entirely removed from his script without his consent.
Buck Woodall’s lawsuit alleges that Disney stole numerous elements from his proposed animated film titled Bucky – a “fraudulent enterprise involving the theft, misappropriation and large-scale exploitation of Woodall’s copyrighted material” by Jenny Marchick, former director of development for Mandeville Films.
Woodall alleges that he produced a script and trailer for Buckywhich features a main character who encounters a tattooed demigod with a giant hook and a giant creature hidden in a mountain, and began sharing details of said project with Marchick in 2003.
Marchick, who is now head of feature development at DreamWorks Animation, requested documents such as production plans, character designs and storyboards, and reassured Woodall that she could get the green light to the movie.
Woodall accused Marchick of using legal loopholes to pass his materials to Disney and claims he received copyright protection for his Bucky materials in 2004 – a copyright updated in 2014.
“Disney’s Moana was produced as a result of Woodall providing Defendants with virtually all of the building blocks necessary for its development and production after more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animated film project “, the lawsuit states.
The suit also highlights alleged overlaps between Bucky et Moana 2.
Both take place in an ancient Polynesian village and follow teenagers who try to save their land and encounter ancient spirits who manifest as animals. The combination specifically highlights details such as rooster and pig companions, a quest to break a curse, as well as a whirlpool that leads to a portal, all taken from the storyline of Bucky.
“Moana and her crew are sucked into a perilous whirlpool-like ocean portal, another dramatic and unique imagery found in the plaintiff’s materials that could not have been developed by chance or without malicious intentions. »
Woodall previously tried to sue Disney Moana. However, U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall ruled in November last year that he tried to sue too late for the 2016 film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Now, with the recent release of Moana 2which has already grossed $989.8 million worldwide, Woodwall is taking further legal action and seeking damages equivalent to 2.5 percent of the company’s gross revenue. Moana – equivalent to 10 billion dollars (9.7 billion euros).
Additionally, he seeks an order prohibiting further infringement of his copyrights.
Disney previously claimed that no one was involved in MoanaThe development of had seen the animator’s material. Moana Director Ron Clements wrote a statement to the court after the first trial, which said: “Moana was not inspired or based in any way on (Woodall) or his ‘Bucky’ project, which I heard about for the first time after this trial. was filed. »
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney also submitted documents regarding the origin and development of Moana – including story and presentation materials.
The first Moana The film was released in 2016 and was an instant success. Last month, we reported that eight years after its release, the film had become the most-watched streaming film of the last five years.
Indeed, Moana has been watched for over a billion hours in total, which is equivalent to one person viewing the film 775 million times. Or, as the Wall Street Journal puts it, “watching Moana for 150,000 years straight.”
Moana 2 performed exceptionally well at the box office and could be on track for an Oscar nomination next week.
However, the sequel’s awards prospects don’t look very bright, especially since it lost the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature to To flow – one of our favorite films of 2024. This recent lawsuit could further hurt the film’s chances, as the Academy may want to avoid any controversy in nominating it.
