Moana copyright dispute ends, new lawsuit targets sequel
After a five-year legal battle, Disney has emerged victorious in a copyright trial concerning the origins of its hit animated film Moana.
According to Deadline, a Los Angeles jury, on Monday ruled in favour of the entertainment giant, concluding that the primary creators of Moana, John Musker and Ron Clements, had no knowledge of Buck Woodall's earlier work Bucky the Surfer Boy while developing the 2016 film.
However, the legal saga is far from over, as Woodall still pursues a separate lawsuit against Disney over alleged copyright infringement related to the Moana sequel, Moana 2, which has grossed over $1 billion globally.
The case centered around allegations that Disney had lifted elements from Woodall's Bucky the Surfer Boy, including its Hawaii setting and Polynesian mythological themes.
Woodall claimed that his distant relative, Jenny Marchick, a former director at Mandeville Films, had shared his copyrighted material with Disney, leading to the creation of Moana.
However, the jury found that Musker, Clements, and other key figures involved in Moana had never seen or heard of Woodall's work. "We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of Moana and are pleased that the jury found it had nothing to do with Plaintiff's works," Disney spokespersons said after the verdict was read.
"This decision reinforces our position that Moana is an entirely original creation," the spokesperson added. Woodall's legal team, however, expressed their disappointment with the verdict. "We are obviously disappointed in the verdict," said attorney Gustavo D Lage, adding, "At the present time, we are weighing our options to determine the best path forward regarding the legal remedies available to our client."
Despite the defeat in this trial, Woodall's legal team is not giving up. A separate lawsuit, filed earlier this year, targets the success of Moana 2 and seeks a staggering $10 billion in damages, or about 2.5 per cent of the sequel's global earnings.
This new lawsuit, which claims a conspiracy involving Marchick and other Disney associates, alleges that Disney knowingly used elements of Bucky the Surfer Boy in Moana 2, which stars Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson.
The latest complaint filed by Woodall's team accuses Marchick of scheming to steal Woodall's intellectual property for profit, citing her career ambitions and desire for success in Hollywood. According to the lawsuit, this conspiracy ultimately led to the creation of the Moana franchise. In response, Marchick, who now heads development at DreamWorks Animation, denied any involvement in the alleged theft of Woodall's material.
During her testimony, Marchick stated that she had no memory of ever showing Bucky materials to anyone at Disney, despite receiving updates and documents from Woodall over the years. She also mentioned securing an interview for Woodall with a Disney Channel animator, but this did not result in any job offer.
While Disney's victory in the Moana copyright case may have settled the matter concerning the original film, the legal battle over 'Moana 2' is far from over.
No trial date has been set for this ongoing lawsuit, but as per Deadline, experts predict that Disney will soon seek to have the case dismissed, citing the favourable verdict in the initial trial.
