Latest news with #BuckytheWaveWarrior
See - Sada Elbalad
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Disney Wins "Moana" Copyright Trial
Yara Sameh On Monday, a jury sided with Disney in a copyright trial involving 'Moana,' clearing the company of an infringement suit brought by a screenwriter. The plaintiff, Buck Woodall, filed suit in 2020, alleging that 'Moana' was based on his work, 'Bucky the Wave Warrior.' After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not have access to the 2011 screenplay or earlier treatments. The jury deliberated for less than three hours. A Disney spokesperson said, 'We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of 'Moana' and are pleased that the jury found it had nothing to do with Plaintiff's works.' Because the jurors ruled that the filmmakers did not have access to the script, they did not have to address the question of whether the two works are similar. Woodall, who is based in New Mexico, alleged a series of similarities between his work and the original 2016 'Moana.' He argued that both projects involve teenagers who defy their parental orders to set off on a dangerous voyage and save a Polynesian island. Woodall alleged other similarities as well, such as the inclusion of navigation by stars, a demigod with tattoos and survival of a storm at sea. The screenwriter alleged that, in 2004, he pitched the project to his sister-in-law's stepsister, who was an assistant at a live-action production company on the Disney lot. The relative later asked Walt Disney Animation Studios if it would take a submission, and learned that it would not, according to court filings. Disney argued that 'Moana' was independently created years later, and that there was no evidence that any of the filmmakers had access to Woodall's work. The company's lawyers also noted numerous differences between the two works. 'Bucky is white; Moana is Oceanian. Bucky is from the mainland U.S.; Moana is indigenous to the fictional island of Motunui,' the lawyers argued in a motion. 'Bucky lives in the modern day; Moana lives millennia in the past. Bucky is an ordinary teen; Moana is the future chief of her people. Bucky wants to learn to surf, while Moana wants to continue her people's proud history as the greatest ocean voyagers the world has ever known.' In November, a judge found that most of Woodall's claims were barred by the statute of limitations, since the movie was released in 2016. However, a claim survived against Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney's home video subsidiary, because the DVD release was in 2017. Woodall's lawyer said he was 'disappointed' and would consider his client's options going forward. Woodall filed a separate suit in January, alleging that 'Moana 2' also infringed on his screenplay. That case is still pending.
Euronews
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Disney is cleared of copyright infringement over hit film 'Moana'
After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not steal the concept for 2016's 'Moana' from a 2011 screenplay. ADVERTISEMENT A jury on Monday quickly and completely rejected a man's claim that Disney's Moana was stolen from his story of a young surfer in Hawaii. The Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours before siding with Disney in the copyright trial, clearing the company of an infringement suit brought by screenwriter Buck Woodall. Woodall filed suit in 2020 alleging that Moana was based on his work entitled "Bucky the Wave Warrior.' The eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not have access to the 2011 screenplay or earlier treatments. A Disney spokesperson said: 'We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of 'Moana' and are pleased that the jury found it had nothing to do with Plaintiff's works.' 'Obviously we're disappointed,' Woodall's attorney Gustavo Lage said outside court. 'We're going to review our options and think about the best path forward.' In closing arguments earlier Monday, Woodall's attorney said that a long chain of circumstantial evidence showed the two works were inseparable. 'There was no 'Moana' without 'Bucky,'' Lage said. Moana Disney Woodall's suit alleged that Disney stole many elements of his animated film project - a 'fraudulent enterprise that encompassed the theft, misappropriation and extensive exploitation of Woodall's copyrighted materials' on part of former Mandeville Films development director Jenny Marchick. Woodall alleges he produced a screenplay and trailer for Bucky, which features a main character who encounters a tattooed demigod with a giant hook and a giant creature that's concealed within a mountain, and began sharing details of said project with Marchick in 2003. Marchick, who is now DreamWorks Animation's head of development for features, asked for materials like production plans, character designs and storyboards, and reassured Woodall she could get the film greenlit. Woodall accused Marchick of using legal loopholes to pass on his materials to Disney and claims he received copyright protection for his Bucky materials in 2004 - a copyright that was updated in 2014. Moana Disney Defense lawyer Moez Kaba said that the evidence showed overwhelmingly that Moana was clearly the creation and 'crowning achievement' of the 40-year career of John Musker and Ron Clements, the writers and directors behind 1989's The Little Mermaid, 1992's Aladdin, 1997's Hercules and 2009's The Princess and the Frog. 'They had no idea about Bucky,' Kaba said in his closing statement. 'They had never seen it, never heard of it.' The first Moana film was released in 2016 and was an instant hit. Last December, we reported that eight years after its release, the movie became the most-streamed movie of the past five years. Indeed, Moana has been viewed for a total of more than 1 billion hours - which amounts to one person sitting through the movie 775 million times. Or, as The Wall Street Journal put it, 'watching Moana for 150,000 years straight".
Euronews
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
‘Moana' copyright ruling: Was the modern Disney classic a rip-off?
After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not steal the concept for 2016's 'Moana' from a 2011 screenplay. ADVERTISEMENT A jury on Monday quickly and completely rejected a man's claim that Disney's Moana was stolen from his story of a young surfer in Hawaii. The Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours before siding with Disney in the copyright trial, clearing the company of an infringement suit brought by screenwriter Buck Woodall. Woodall filed suit in 2020 alleging that Moana was based on his work entitled "Bucky the Wave Warrior.' The eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not have access to the 2011 screenplay or earlier treatments. A Disney spokesperson said: 'We are incredibly proud of the collective work that went into the making of 'Moana' and are pleased that the jury found it had nothing to do with Plaintiff's works.' 'Obviously we're disappointed,' Woodall's attorney Gustavo Lage said outside court. 'We're going to review our options and think about the best path forward.' In closing arguments earlier Monday, Woodall's attorney said that a long chain of circumstantial evidence showed the two works were inseparable. 'There was no 'Moana' without 'Bucky,'' Lage said. Woodall's suit alleged that Disney stole many elements of his animated film project - a 'fraudulent enterprise that encompassed the theft, misappropriation and extensive exploitation of Woodall's copyrighted materials' on part of former Mandeville Films development director Jenny Marchick. Woodall alleges he produced a screenplay and trailer for Bucky , which features a main character who encounters a tattooed demigod with a giant hook and a giant creature that's concealed within a mountain, and began sharing details of said project with Marchick in 2003. Marchick, who is now DreamWorks Animation's head of development for features, asked for materials like production plans, character designs and storyboards, and reassured Woodall she could get the film greenlit. Woodall accused Marchick of using legal loopholes to pass on his materials to Disney and claims he received copyright protection for his Bucky materials in 2004 - a copyright that was updated in 2014. Defense lawyer Moez Kaba said that the evidence showed overwhelmingly that Moana was clearly the creation and 'crowning achievement' of the 40-year career of John Musker and Ron Clements, the writers and directors behind 1989's The Little Mermaid , 1992's Aladdin , 1997's Hercules and 2009's The Princess and the Frog . 'They had no idea about Bucky,' Kaba said in his closing statement. 'They had never seen it, never heard of it.' The first Moana film was released in 2016 and was an instant hit. Last December, we reported that eight years after its release, the movie became the most-streamed movie of the past five years. Indeed, Moana has been viewed for a total of more than 1 billion hours - which amounts to one person sitting through the movie 775 million times. Or, as The Wall Street Journal put it, 'watching Moana for 150,000 years straight".
