Animator Buck Woodall sued Disney in January and alleged that the company stole the idea for 'Moana' from a story he has been developing since the 2000s

Animator Buck Woodall continues to pursue a copyright trial over the sequel to the 2016 hit, though the jury's decision in this case may indicate he faces an uphill battle.

On Monday, a Los Angeles jury ruled in Disney's favor, stating that the company and the primary creators of Moana, John Musker, and Ron Clements, weren't privy to Woodall's work when they created the 2016 animated feature. However, the matter isn't settled yet as Woodall has filed a separate lawsuit over Moana 2.

Screenwriter Buck Woodall had in 2020 filed a copyright infringement suit against Disney, claiming that 2016 film Moana was actually based on his work, Bucky the Wave Warrior. An eight-member jury this week sides with Disney and cleared the studio of infringement suit.

A federal jury ruled in Disney's favor on Monday, delivering a swift verdict in a copyright lawsuit case in which a man claimed the company stole his ideas to make the hit film Moana. According to the Associated Press,

A California federal jury said on Monday that Disney's hit film "Moana" did not infringe an artist's copyrights related to his planned animated movie about a teenage hero in ancient Polynesia.