Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Moana 2!

Shortly before the 2025 Oscars, Disney has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over Moana 2, raising questions about the franchise that grossed $1.6 billion at the box office. After a successful run in theaters, Moana 2 has quickly become one of the most successful animated Disney movies of all time. The movie was shortlisted for numerous awards throughout the 2025 season, but Disney could now be in H๏τ water for Moana 2 because a screenwriter named Buck Woodall filed a 2025 copyright infringement lawsuit that could cost them a pretty penny if it’s successful.

The Moana 2 copyright lawsuit is based on the ᴀssertion that former Mandeville Films director of development Jenny Marchick received the screenplay, trailer, character designs, production plans, and storyboards for the movie Bucky, written by Buck Woodwall, which she supposedly pᴀssed along to Disney, per Mandeville Films’ first-look agreement. The legal documents claim Disney used these materials to create Moana and Moana 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 lawsuit Woodall v. Disney, which is available through Scribd, alleges that the Moana franchise infringed upon Buck Woodall’s copyright for the Bucky pre-production materials. They claim that Moana and Moana 2 contain these similarities to Bucky:

• They tell the story of a teen who goes against their parents’ wishes to embark on a voyage across the ocean to save a Polynesian island.
• They refer to the Polynesian people’s birthright access to the sea.
• The main characters learn about ancient Polynesian culture while on a voyage across the sea.
• They use the Polynesian belief that the spirits of the ancestors manifest as animals that protect and guide their descendants.
• The protagonist’s home is an ancient Polynesian village with “inhabitants weaving baskets, fishing, pounding taro, and telling stories of ancient Polynesia.”
• Their opening sequence includes a flight to an island.
• Their opening sequence includes the main character as a baby going up to the water on a Polynesian beach.
• The main characters’ journey starts with a turtle.
• They have a symbolic necklace that plays a role in the story.
• They include wayfinding, the Polynesian practice of navigating the sea using the stars and other natural signs.
• The main characters come across a demigod with tattoos who carry a giant hook.
• The demigods are introduced in a dark cave.
• The demigods can transform into different animals, including a Polynesian hawk and shark.
• They both have characters that shapeshift into bugs.
• The main characters survive a storm while sailing.
• The main characters go up against an “army of small-armored warrior characters.”
• The main characters come across a whirlpool in the ocean.
• They both have a giant creature concealed in a mountain that takes the mountain’s shape when lying down.
• They end with the teen hero returning to their village and parents, having prevented the island’s destruction.
• They have similar animated visual depictions, such as the face of the Te Fiti, the location, and the island’s surroundings.
• The main characters embark on a voyage on an outrigger canoe.
• The main characters time travel. (Moana through visions of the future and past.)
• The main character voyages the ocean with a crew.
• The main characters’ crew on the canoe include animal friends.
• The main character searches for a mysterious island.
• The main characters try to break a curse.
• They include the characters getting transported through a “perilous whirlpool-like oceanic portal.”
• The main character climbs a mountain.
• They integrate Polynesian mythological figures.
• The ocean is depicted as a sentient spirit.

In order to win the case, Buck Woodall’s legal team will need to prove that he owned a copyright for Bucky and 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

The Moana 2 lawsuit 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.

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 ᴀsserted in the claim as the amount that the defendants have garnered in profits based on the franchise, which is curious based on the amount Moana and Moana 2 grossed 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 original Moana movie, 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 case Buck G Woodall v. The Walt Disney Company, and the discovery for the case is available at Court Listener for 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.

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 ᴀssertion 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” (via The 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 the Moana 2 lawsuit 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.

If the judge issues a temporary injunction against Disney, their plan for further Moana movies – including the 2026 live-action Moana movie, the Maui TV show, and a potential Moana 3 – could be halted. The 2025 Oscars might 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 the Moana franchise as planned.

Sources: Scribd, Court Listener, and The Hollywood Reporter