
Disney sued over Moana copyright claim
Emily Dunham - 3 February 2025
American animator Book Woodall has sued Disney, claiming that it copied the idea for its successful Moana franchise from a screenplay he had written years earlier. He claims that Disney lifted ideas from his work, as both films are set in ancient Polynesian villages with teenage protagonists who set out on dangerous voyages to save their land, meeting ancient animal spirits along their journey. Specifically, Woodall’s suit mentions elements including the protagonists’ rooster and pig companions, and a whirlpool leading to a portal.
Woodall claims that he gave his materials – a screenplay and accompanying trailer – to Jenny Marchick in 2003. At the time she was part of Mandeville Film Development and is now head of development at DreamWorks Animation. The suit claims that Marchick used legal loopholes to supply Woodall’s materials to Disney. Woodall made a claim in 2022 over the first Moana film, but it was dismissed by the court as too much time had passed between the film’s release and his claim.
The claim is seeking 2.5 percent of Moana's approximately $10bn (£8.2bn) gross revenue in damages, and an order banning further infringement of his copyrights. It’s worth noting that Woodall’s screenplay, Bucky, had been registered with the Writers Guild of America, which meant the material was protected by the US Copyright Office. Previous copyright claims made against Disney relate to characters and concepts included in Pirates of the Caribbean and Inside Out, but the plaintiffs in both cases were unsuccessful. While Disney continues to refute these claims, providing early drafts and journals to prove that the idea was original to the company, but it’s now up to the court to decide whether Woodall is owed billions.