Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Moana 2!
Shortly before the 2025 Oscars, Disney has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit overMoana 2, raising questions about the franchise that grossed $1.6 billion at the box office. After a successful run in theaters,Moana 2has quickly become one of themost successful animated Disney movies of all time. The movie was shortlisted for numerous awards throughout the 2025 season, but Disney could now be in hot water forMoana 2because a screenwriter named Buck Woodall filed a 2025 copyright infringement lawsuit that could cost them a pretty penny if it’s successful.
TheMoana 2copyright lawsuitis based on the assertion that former Mandeville Films director of development Jenny Marchick received the screenplay, trailer, character designs, production plans, and storyboards for the movieBucky, written by Buck Woodwall, which she supposedly passed along to Disney, per Mandeville Films’ first-look agreement. The legal documents claim Disney used these materials to createMoanaandMoana 2, which allegedly violates Woodwall’s copyright. The 2025 lawsuit, which includes detailed claims about the similarities and the desired outcome, could have negative impacts for Disney if it moves forward.
Moana’s Alleged Similarities To Buck Woodall’s Bucky Explained
The Moana 2 Lawsuit Claims More Than Two Dozen Similarities
The lawsuitWoodall v. Disney, which is available throughScribd, alleges that theMoanafranchise infringed upon Buck Woodall’s copyright for theBuckypre-production materials.They claim thatMoanaandMoana 2contain these similarities toBucky:
In order to win the case, Buck Woodall’s legal team will need to prove that he owned a copyright forBuckyand that Disney willfully infringed upon the copyright for financial or commercial gain. Proving Woodall owns the copyright will be relatively straightforward, but the infringement will be more difficult.
In a copyright case, the parallels can’t be loose or coincidental; they have to reach the level of “substantial similarity.” Although some tests exist to help define this threshold, many of them come down to subjective judgment.Disney will also likely argue the scènes à faire doctrine, a rule that says materials can’t be protected if the genre or setting necessitates it. The Polynesian mythology used also can’t be copyrighted, complicating matters further.
What Woodall Is Requesting In The Moana 2 Lawsuit
Woodall Wants Money And Injunctions Against Disney And All Named Defendants
TheMoana 2lawsuit will be a hefty cost for Disney if Woodall wins and the judge gives him everything he’s requesting. According to the court documents, Woodall is asking for a declaration of infringement, monetary compensation, and injunctions against Disney and all other named defendants. The most basic thing they’re asking for is a legal declaration that Disney infringed upon Buck Woodall’s copyright.
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According to the lawsuit documents,Woodall is asking for a minimum of either $5 billion or 2.5% of the gross revenues, whichever is higher, in compensatory damages,with a minimum of $10 billion for total damages. This number is asserted in the claim as the amount that the defendants have garnered in profits based on the franchise, which is curious based on the amountMoanaandMoana 2grossed at the box office.
The last request is that Disney and all named defendants receive two immediate, temporary, or permanent injunctions. First, they would have an injunction preventing them from reproducing, distributing, or creating other materials based on movies that infringe upon the copyright. Second, they would have an injunction against continuing to breach the copyright.
Why Wasn’t Disney Sued For The Original Moana?
Disney Faced A Lawsuit For Moana But It Was Thrown Out
Considering most of Woodall’s claims pertain to the originalMoanamovie, the question naturally arises as to why he didn’t sue Disney for the first one. It turns out Woodall tried to sue Disney in the caseBuck G Woodall v. The Walt Disney Company, and the discovery for the case is available atCourt Listenerfor those who wish to read the 222-page document. However,the case was ultimately rejected because it was filed too late after the movie’s release.That doesn’t mean the previous case is worthless, though.
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According to the 2025 lawsuit, Jenny Marchick admitted under oath that she did indeed give the presentation package (the term for all the materials listed previously) to a person who worked at “Disney Animation TV.” This will serve as a foundational element in the new case because Woodall’s legal representation has to prove that the company had access to the copyrighted materials so that they could knowingly breach the copyright.
Has Disney Responded To The Lawsuit?
Disney Hasn’t Provided An Official Statement About The 2025 Lawsuit
Though it’s in the news,Disney has not made any public comments on Woodall’s 2025 lawsuit.However, their stance on the matter is likely to be similar to their assertion in the first lawsuit. Director Ron Clements said in a written declaration to the court, “Moana was not inspired by or based in any way on [Woodall] or his ‘Bucky’ project, which I learned of for the first time after this lawsuit was filed”(viaThe Hollywood Reporter). Only time will tell if they deem the case necessary for a separate statement.
What Does The Moana 2 Lawsuit Mean For Disney?
A Temporary Injunction Could Stall Future Moana Projects
The impact of theMoana 2lawsuit will vary greatly on how the case progresses. Based on previous lawsuits against Disney, like the Pirates of the Caribbean copyright suit, there’s a strong chance they’ll settle out of court if there’s a strong enough claim. There’s also a possibility that a judge could throw out the case, rather than send it to a jury trial, if there isn’t a strong enough claim of copyright infringement. Depending on how it goes, it could take years before there’s a proper resolution to the lawsuit.
The most likely outcome, though, is that Disney comes out unscathed, proceeding with theMoanafranchise as planned.
If the judge issues a temporary injunction against Disney, their plan for furtherMoanamovies – including the2026 live-actionMoanamovie, the Maui TV show, and a potentialMoana 3– could be halted. The2025 Oscarsmight also avoid nominating Moana 2 to avoid a future scandal. Should his lawsuit succeed, Woodall could potentially be brought on for future films or given some kind of credit. The most likely outcome, though, is that Disney comes out unscathed, proceeding with theMoanafranchise as planned.
