The Walt Disney Company has been sued by an animator who claims the studio’s hit Moana and Moana 2 animated movies ripped off his original screenplay. He is seeking $10 billion — yes, “billion” with a “b” — in damages.
In the suit filed Friday in a California federal court, animator Buck Woodall alleges that Disney plagiarized elements of a screenplay he wrote for an animated movie titled Bucky, which like the Moana movies is set in an ancient Polynesian village and follows teenagers who rebel against their parents, set off on dangerous voyages, and encounter spirits that manifest themselves as animals.
The suit was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
As for the eye-popping sum being sought, the plaintiff is seeking 2.5 percent of Moana‘s gross revenue, or alternatively at least $10 billion.
The filing comes after a court ruled against the plaintiff in November, concluding that Disney doesn’t have to face an identical copyright lawsuit brought by Woodall over the first Moana because he sued too late. The release of Moana 2 in December has allowed him to initiate further legal action.
In his suit, Woodall alleges that starting as far back as 2003, he provided the screenplay and a trailer for Bucky to former Mandeville Films director of development Jenny Marchick, who is now DreamWorks Animation’s head of development for features.
The suit alleges she asked about providing further materials — like storyboards and character designs — and assured him she could greenlight the film. At the time, Mandeville had a first-look deal with Disney.
Disney denied the allegations during the first court case, even providing a statement by Moana director Ron Clements.
“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,” Ron Clements wrote in a declaration to the court.
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