Credit: DisneyThe Walt Disney Company has managed to defeat a copyright lawsuit.
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Disney has successfully avoided a lawsuit claiming it had copied the work of Hawaii-based artist Johnson Enos. Disney’s ukulele-playing turtle character, ‘Olu Mel can be found at Aulani, the company’s luxurious resort in Hawaii. Enos stated he created his own original turtle character, Honu, before Disney did, claiming the company based its ‘Olu Mel off of his work.
Enos said he created Honu back in 2006. The character would eventually become the star of “Honu By The Sea,” a children’s musical. Since the show premiered in 2012, it has been taken around the world.
In his original lawsuit, filed in 2023, Enos stated that he met with Disney employees in 2008 about working together. Enos claimed Disney executives attended performances of “Honu By The Sea” in 2012 and 2015, insinuating this is where they got the idea for their turtle character.
Disney’s ‘Olu Mel was introduced at Aulani in 2018. Enos accused Disney of copying his design for this character.
While the two turtles have faint similarities, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer stated that Disney’s turtle played the ukulele “months before Johnson Enos’ cartoon turtle,” per a report via Reuters. Judge Fischer ruled on Friday that Disney created ‘Olu Mel before Enos had given Honu a ukulele, deciding the two characters were not similar enough to actually prove copyright infringement.
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Disney has parks and resorts worldwide, with Aulani being one of the company’s most unique offerings to date. Sure, places like Walt Disney World and Disneyland are Disney’s most iconic destinations, but Disney has much more to offer travelers than theme parks.
Opened in 2011, Aulani is a beachside resort hotel located at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.
Aulani is chock-full of activities, restaurants, shows, and attractions to enjoy. Of course, guests can also simply relax by the pool or the ocean, as Aulani offers some of the best hangout spots and views of any of Disney’s standalone resorts. As expected, a stay at Disney’s Aulani Resort isn’t cheap, with room rates ranging between $600 and $2,000 per night.
Disney is no stranger to copyright lawsuits, with the company facing a similar legal battle against animator Buck Woodall. Woodall filed a copyright suit back in 2020, claiming Disney’s Moana was a rip-off of his own creation. Woodall was seeking a whopping $10 billion.
Similar to Enos, Woodall claimed Disney had seen his work and secretly used it as inspiration. On March 10, 2025, a Los Angeles jury found that Disney had not stolen the story of Moana and did not owe Mr. Woodall any compensation.
Have you ever taken a trip to Disney’s Aulani?