Disney sued by animator claiming the studio stole his screenplay for Moana and its blockbuster sequel

Disney is being sued by animator Buck Woodall for allegedly stealing the idea for Moana 2 and the 2016 original.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 10 in California federal court, Woodall claims the company stole parts of a screenplay he wrote for an animated film titled Bucky for Moana 2.

He claims that both his screenplay and that of the animated film are set in a legendary Polynesian village and centered around young adults trying to save their homes while encountering spirit animals along the way.

The lawsuit comes after a hearing in November freed the studio from an identical lawsuit from Woodall over the first Moana film because he waited too long to file his lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

However, the release of Moana 2 gave him the opportunity to take legal action again.

In the first case, the court ruled that a jury must decide whether the projects are significantly similar.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 10 in California federal court, Woodall claims the company stole parts of a screenplay he wrote for an animated film titled Bucky.

It also concluded that someone at Disney Animation TV could have seen Bucky’s copyrighted material before development of Moana began.

According to THR, U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall wrote in the order: “There is a disputed issue of fact as to substantial similarity and striking similarity between the parties.”

Dating back to 2003, Woodall claims he presented the screenplay and a trailer for Bucky to former Mandeville Films development director Jenny Marchick.

According to the animator, Marchick, who is now DreamWorks Animation’s Head of Development for Features, requested materials such as production plans, character designs and storyboards.

According to his recollection, the director specifically assured him that she could greenlight the film.

The complaint details that Mandeville had a first look deal with Disney, along with offices at the Burbank studio.

The legal filing highlights parallels between Moana and Bucky, including that both share a theme of recognizing the Polynesian belief that ancestors can manifest as animals.

Furthermore, each protagonist in the respective scenarios has a story that starts with a turtle, as well as a storyline with a meaningful and symbolic chain.

The lawsuit comes after a hearing in November released the studio from an identical lawsuit from Woodall over the first Moana film, saying he waited too long to file his lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter; still form Moana 2

The release of Moana 2 has given Woodall the opportunity to take legal action again after his previous filing was deemed outside the statute of limitations

According to the complaint, “Disney’s Moana was produced in the wake of Woodall’s supply to Defendants of substantially all of the components necessary for its development and production, following more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animated film project.”

It goes on to claim that “Moana and her crew are sucked into a dangerous vortex-like oceanic portal, another dramatic and unique device – images found in Plaintiff’s materials that could not possibly have been developed by chance or without malicious intent.”

Woodall is seeking damages of as much as $10 billion, or the equivalent of 2.5 percent of Moana’s gross revenues, as well as an injunction preventing continued infringement of his copyrights.

In Buck’s previous lawsuit, Disney denied the allegations, claiming that no one involved in the development and execution of Moana had seen Woodall’s materials.

“Moana is not inspired or based on it in any way [Woodall] or his ‘Bucky’ project, which I first heard about after this lawsuit was filed,” Moana director Ron Clements said in a court statement.

Disney also handed over documents including story ideas, pitch materials, written research, travelogues and scripts related to the film’s concept.