The Walt Disney Company has been in the midst of a high-profile case recently, in which the entertainment giant stands to lose up to as much as $10 billion. Brought on by animator Buck Woodall, it accuses Disney of having usurped its own ideas from a screenplay written by Woodall entitled Bucky the Wave Warrior and developed them into its animated Moana and subsequent sequel, Moana 2. Many questions in this regard would arise about the case of copyright and ethical etiquette around idea-sharing in the entertainment industry.
Background of the lawsuit
Buck Woodall filed his lawsuit in a California federal court on January 10, 2025. According to Woodall, he submitted his screenplay and supporting documents to Jenny Marchick, then a development director at Mandeville Films, back in 2003. By that time, Mandeville was in a first-look deal with Disney; hence, both of them were very much involved with each other. Woodall indicates that “Marchick then sent Disney his copyrighted works without Bergman’s permission; and eventually this led to the development of the Moana sequel”.
The lawsuit highlights several important parallels between Woodall’s Bucky and Disney’s Moana franchise. Both tales deal with teens who make risky voyages across Polynesian waters in a fight to rescue their homelands. Further, both stories employ elements of Polynesian culture in their storyline, including spiritual ancestors manifested as animals and navigation by the stars. Those parallels have led Woodall to believe there is no way this could have been coincidental.
Key allegations
Woodall’s complaint is lengthy and detailed. He asserts that the following elements of Bucky are found in Moana:
- Protagonist’s journey: Both tales follow a youth who, defying their parent’s warning, goes out on a dangerous journey.
- Cultural elements: Both stories have made many borrowings from Polynesian stories, especially those concerning the role of ancestral spirit and connectedly, their navigation system.
- Similarities of character: Both stories have meetings with demigods and mythical animals, as well as friendly creatures such as roosters and pigs.
Woodall seeks not only damages amounting to $10 billion but also 2.5% of the gross revenue generated by both Moana films and related merchandise. That figure is huge in light of the fact that Moana grossed more than $680 million worldwide upon its release in 2016, and Moana 2 has already grossed nearly $1 billion since its release in late 2024.
Previous legal attempts
It’s not Woodall’s first attempt at taking Disney to court over the allegations. A previous lawsuit was tossed in November 2024 due to timing issues, but the release of Moana 2 gave him another chance to file. His current lawsuit builds upon earlier claims but focuses more heavily on the sequel.
The copyrights themselves are a grey area, far more so in the case with big corporations involved like Disney: The ones always going to the greatest of lengths to protect the intellectual property within their possession. At the same time, however, the Woodall case brings into the fore very grave issues regarding the sharing of ideas, and the failure to give recognition to the rightful creators of said ideas.
Disney’s response
Thus far, Disney has made no official public comment on the specifics of Woodall’s claims. Disney traditionally has taken an aggressive legal stance on infringement, going after people it believed to have misused its intellectual property. This now puts it in a somewhat ironic position as the alleged perpetrator of the very activity it has worked so hard to prevent.
This case has the potential to set a great precedent in the entertainment industry with regard to sharing and protecting ideas. If Woodall can prove that his materials were indeed misappropriated and used without authorization, the implications could have massive financial ramification for Disney and change how studios could handle creative submissions from here on out.
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