Moana and its sequel are two of the most successful movies in the history of Walt Disney Studios, and now, the company has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that the idea for both Moana and its sequel were stolen.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Jan. 10 in federal court in California, animator Buck Woodall claims that Disney pulled elements of both films from the script for his project, titled Bucky. According to the lawsuit, Bucky is set in a Polynesian village and follows teenagers who defy their parents by embarking on dangerous voyages to save their homes as they encounter the spirits of animals who guide them on their journey.
The lawsuit came after a ruling in November that Disney could not be sued for copyright infringement over the original Moana because Woodall had fired his suit too late. The release of Moana 2 gave Woodall another chance to sue.
In the original case, the court found that a jury should decide if the works were substantially similar if the statute of limitations had not passed, and also that someone at Disney might have seen the script for Bucky prior to beginning work on Moana.
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“Disney’s Moana was produced in the wake of Woodall’s delivery to the Defendants of virtually all constituent parts necessary for its development and production after more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animated film project,” the complaint states.
Among the similarities between the two projects are the Polynesian setting, the way both characters’ journeys start with a turtle, the use of the belief in animal spirits, an encounter with a tatoo-laden demigod who uses a hook, and a giant creature who is disguised as an island.
Woodall is seeking 2.5 percent of Moana‘s gross revenue, which amounts to $10 billion. Disney contested the claims made in the original lawsuit that the works were similar.