Jury Makes Major Decision in Disney’s ‘Moana’ Lawsuit

What can the judge say to Disney, except, “You’re welcome!”

The House of Mouse was handed a massive victory when a Los Angeles jury ruled that the company did not steal the idea for its 2016 hit film Moana. And now, Disney can move on from the Moana drama and figure out how they want to continue the Polynesian princess’s story without the fear of ending up back in court.

Related: The Success of ‘Moana 2’ Is Actually Pretty Problematic

Disney first introduced Moana back in 2016, and the studio’s first film about the Polynesian princess was an absolute hit. Fans loved the music by Lin Manuel Miranda, the beautiful story, the amazing characters, and the hilarious little chicken named Hei Hei. The film grossed more than $680 million at the box office and has remained one of Disney’s most popular animated films. It was even the most-streamed movie on Disney+ in 2023!

However, there was one person who was not happy with how well Moana did, and he even felt that Disney stole an idea that he had pitched more than ten years earlier.

Related: Who Was The REAL Winner In ‘Wicked’ vs ‘Moana 2’?

Back in January, we reported that animator Buck Woodall had sued Disney for a whopping $10 billion, accusing the company of stealing the idea from a screenplay called Bucky the Surfer Boy, which he originally pitched in 2003.

Mr. Woodall claimed that he had pitched Bucky to Mandeville Films, which had a first-look deal with Disney at the time. His lawsuit pointed to multiple similarities between Bucky’s story and Moana’s story. However, much of Moana’s story had to do with ancient Polynesian stories and beliefs, including the story of Maui and his fishhook.

Related: Live-Action ‘Moana’ Photos Leaked, and Fans Aren’t Loving Them

Now, after years of fighting and battling serious accusations, a jury has made the final determination in Disney versus Mr. Woodall.

On March 10, the Los Angeles jury declared that Disney had not stolen the story of Moana and did not owe Mr. Woodall one penny.

Per a report from Deadline:

While the panel of six women and two men determined in just under three hours that Disney and primary Moana creators John Musker and Ron Clements never saw or even knew about Woodall’s Bucky the Surfer Boy work while working on the 2016 animated hit, Woodall now has a separate copyright infringement action in the courts over blockbuster sequelMoana 2.

After the verdict, a Disney spokesperson released a short statement expressing the company’s pleasure with the decision.

“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.”

Mr. Woodall’s lawyers, on the other hand, voiced their disappointment and said that they are “weighing our options to determine the best path forward”, indicating that they might appeal the verdict.

The main question the jury had to decide was if Moana directors Ron Clements and John Musker had been aware of Woodall’s Bucky script when they made Moana. Disney’s lawyers said that the men were not, and the jury agreed.

Mr. Woodall first tried to sue Disney back in 2020, but a judge determined that the lawsuit was filed too late, and he could not legally collect on any of the profits made by Moana. However, Mr. Woodall filed a new lawsuit earlier this year and is now attempting to gain some of the profits made by Moana 2, which hit theaters on November 27, 2024.

That lawsuit must be decided separately.

Moana 2 has made just over $1 billion at the global box office and will premiere on Disney+ on March 12.

Do you think the jury made the right decision? Was Disney’s Moana too close to Mr. Woodall’s Bucky script, or did it rely heavily on Polynesian lore? Share your thoughts in the comments!