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 jury decided that MOANA was not copied from writer and animator Buck Woodall’s script for “Bucky the Surfer Boy.”

The jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours before deciding that the creators of “Moana” never had access to Buck Woodall’s outlines and script for “Bucky the Surfer Boy.”

Disney has been cleared of copyright infringement in a lawsuit over the animated film ‘Moana’. The case represents one of several high-profile intellectual property disputes in the entertainment industry in recent years.

Disney has emerged victorious in a lawsuit regarding its popular animated feature, “Moana,” after a two-week trial in Los Angeles federal court. New Mexico-based screenwriter Derek Woodall claimed that Disney’s 2016 blockbuster infringed upon his 2011 screenplay,