Summary
A legal battle is unfolding in Los Angeles as animator Buck Woodall claimsDisneylifted the story for its 2016 animated hitMoanafrom a project he developed years earlier. Woodall alleges that his original concept,Bucky the Surfer Boy, was passed along to Disney through a relative with Hollywood connections, ultimately leading to what he believes was a case of idea theft.
Woodall claims he developedBucky the Surfer Boy, a Polynesian-themed animated film, years beforeMoana- which currently hasa live-action version in the works- ever hit theaters. The animator insists he spent $500,000 creating, writing, and developing a movie package that included a script, an animated trailer, and storyboards. In 2003, he shared this package with Jenny Marchick, the stepsister of his brother’s wife, who was then working at Mandeville Films. At the time, Mandeville had a “first-look” arrangement withDisney, meaning the studio had the right of first refusal to distribute any films the production company wanted to make.
Woodall alleges that Marchick encouraged him to provide even more details aboutBucky, ultimately using his materials to help Disney developMoana. “BothBuckyandMoanatell 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,” Woodall claims. He added both projects also “celebrate what theBuckyscript refers to as the Polynesian people’s ‘unfettered access to the sea as a native right.’” Disney, however, has repeatedly denied any connection between Woodall’s work andMoana, arguing that its filmmakers developed the story entirely in-house. The trial, which began Tuesday perCourt House News, will determine whether Disney’s animation studio had access to Woodall’s script and sketches and whether his story is similar enough toMoanato support his copyright infringement claims. Jury selection is currently underway, setting the stage for a courtroom showdown over the blockbuster film’s origins.
Disney Faces $10 Billion Copyright Lawsuit
Woodall’s case faces significant legal obstacles. While he first sawMoanain late 2016 and immediately suspected similarities to his project, he didn’t file his lawsuit until 2020, beyond the statute of limitations for most of his claims. As a result, U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall ruled that the only remaining claims are against Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which distributedMoanaon DVD and Blu-ray. Woodall also tried, unsuccessfully, to include Disney+ in the case, arguing that revenue from the streaming platform should be considered in the damages. The judge rejected this request, ruling that Disney+, which is set tostreamMoana’s sequel next month, is separate from Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the only remaining defendant.
Meanwhile, the judge will use an extrinsic test to determine whetherMoanacopied any protectable elements fromBucky, rather than generic themes. Disney has vigorously defended its position, emphasizing the extensive effort that went into makingMoana. In short, the Mouse House claimsMoana,which is considered one ofDisney’s best animated films, was not inspired by or based in any way on Woodall orBucky. With the trial now underway, a jury will soon weigh in on whether Disney’s billion-dollar franchise was truly the result of in-house creativity, or whether it owes its origins to a little-known animator’s long-forgotten script.
