In a recent copyright trial, a California federal jury ruled in favor of Disney, dismissing claims made by artist Buck Woodall, who argued that the animated film “Moana” had infringed upon his copyrighted materials related to his planned movie,
“Bucky.” Woodall contended that Disney had unlawfully copied his script, storyboards, and other materials he had shared with a film executive in the early 2000s.
However, the jury found that Disney had not used Woodall’s materials, nor did the two works share sufficient similarities to substantiate the claims.
Woodall, who initially filed his lawsuit in 2020, accused Disney of using his story about a teenage surfer who time travels to ancient Polynesia, which allegedly bore striking resemblances to “Moana.”
Disney countered that the “Moana” team had never seen Woodall’s materials, and the two stories did not overlap enough to merit the accusations.
The case, which was narrowed to focus only on Disney’s home video distribution through Buena Vista Home Entertainment, led Woodall to seek $100 million in damages.
After the ruling, Woodall’s attorney, Gustavo Lage, expressed disappointment with the verdict and indicated that they would assess the next steps. Woodall has also filed a similar lawsuit over “Moana 2” seeking $10 billion in damages.
The case is known as Woodall v. Walt Disney Co. (U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:20-cv-03772).
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