A jury on Monday sided with Disney in a copyright trial involving “Moana,” clearing the company of an infringement suit brought by a screenwriter.
The plaintiff, Buck Woodall, filed suit in 2020, alleging that “Moana” was based on his work entitled “Bucky the Wave Warrior.”
After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not have access to the 2011 screenplay or earlier treatments. The jury deliberated for less than three hours.
Because the jurors ruled that the filmmakers did not have access to the script, they did not have to address the question of whether the two works are similar.
Woodall, who is based in New Mexico, alleged a series of similarities between his work and the original 2016 “Moana.” He argued that both projects involve teenagers who defy their parental orders to set off on a dangerous voyage and save a Polynesian island. He alleged other similarities as well, such as the inclusion of navigation by stars, a demigod with tattoos and survival of a storm at sea.
Woodall alleged that, in 2004, he pitched the project to his sister-in-law’s stepsister, who was an assistant at a live-action production company on the Disney lot. The relative later asked Walt Disney Animation Studios if it would take a submission, and learned that it would not, according to court filings.
Disney argued that “Moana” was independently created years later, and that there was no evidence that any of the filmmakers had access to Woodall’s work. Disney’s lawyers also noted numerous differences between the two works.
“Bucky is white; Moana is Oceanian. Bucky is from the mainland U.S.; Moana is indigenous to the fictional island of Motunui,” the company’s lawyers argued in a motion. “Bucky lives in the modern day; Moana lives millennia in the past. Bucky is an ordinary teen; Moana is the future chief of her people. Bucky wants to learn to surf, while Moana wants to continue her people’s proud history as the greatest ocean voyagers the world has ever known.”
In November, a judge found that most of Woodall’s claims were barred by the statute of limitations, since the film was released in 2016. However, a claim survived against Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney’s home video subsidiary, because the DVD release was in 2017.
Disney’s lawyers declined to comment upon leaving the courtroom. Woodall’s lawyer said he was “disappointed” and would consider his client’s options going forward.
Woodall filed a separate suit in January, alleging that “Moana 2” also infringed on his screenplay. That case is still pending.
