- Animator Buck Woodall alleges that Disney used his copyrighted screenplay.
- Woodall claims that Jenny Marchick secretly gave Disney materials derived from work he produced 20 years ago.
- Woodall's lawsuit targets the second installment of "Moana," released in November 2024.
Woodall claims that “Jenny Marchick, the former development director at Mandeville Films and now head of DreamWorks Animation, violated his copyright by secretly giving Disney materials derived from work he produced for her 20 years ago. The plaintiff alleges that this material ultimately became the basis for Moana and Moana 2.’
A court ruling last November prevented Woodall from filing a similar lawsuit against the first “Moana” installment, as the filing was deemed too late. The new lawsuit includes multiple allegations but primarily targets the second installment, released in November 2024.
According to the Entertainment Weekly report, Woodall alleged the existence of a “fraudulent enterprise that encompassed the theft, misappropriation, and extensive exploitation of Woodall's copyrighted materials,” allegedly orchestrated by Marchick. At the time of her dealings with Woodall, Mandeville Films had a first-look agreement with Disney and shared offices on the Disney lot in Burbank, California.
Between 2003 and 2008, Woodall reportedly provided Marchick with "extremely large quantities of intellectual property and trade secrets" related to his projects “Bucky” and “Bucky The Wave Warrior”. These materials included a finished screenplay, character illustrations, an entirely animated concept trailer, budgets, background image references, storyboards, and more, according to the report.
In the filing, the plaintiff stated that the development of “Bucky” never materialized but alleged that Marchick passed his material to Disney. He claimed that Marchick exploited legal loopholes within Disney’s "tapestry of confusion," a term used to describe the company’s complex corporate structure.
The filing further alleges that Disney used “Bucky” as the basis for “Moana” and its sequel without Woodall's consent. The lawsuit highlights numerous similarities between Woodall's unfinished script and both “Moana” films, according to the outlet.
As reported by a source, Woodall is seeking a court judgment to confirm his copyright ownership and to prohibit further infringements. Additionally, he is seeking damages amounting to 2.5% of Moana’s gross income, equivalent to approximately $10 billion.
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