The Walt Disney Company has signed a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI that will allow users of the Sora app to create short videos featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars. The agreement includes characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Beast, Cinderella, Baymax, Simba, and Mufasa, as well as heroes and villains such as Black Panther, Captain America, Deadpool, Groot, Iron Man, Loki, Thor, Thanos, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia, the Mandalorian, and Yoda. The videos will be fan-made, short, and shared on social media, all based on simple text prompts.
Disney is also investing $1 billion in OpenAI (approximately CZK 23 billion), including the purchase of shares and options to acquire more. This investment makes Disney one of OpenAI's major customers, using its technologies, including ChatGPT for internal employees and new tools within Disney+. The agreement does not include the likenesses or voices of real actors.
Starting in early 2026, Sora users will be able to generate videos featuring these characters, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic settings. Likewise, ChatGPT Images will enable users to create images based on text descriptions, again using these licensed elements. OpenAI launched Sora in September, and the app quickly rose to the top of the Apple Store, where users create short videos simply by entering text.
Disney plans to stream selected fan-made videos from Sora directly on Disney+, allowing fans to share their creations with a wider audience. Disney CEO Robert A. Iger said that this collaboration will allow fans to connect with the characters like never before, thanks to generative artificial intelligence (AI). Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, added that the agreement will expand content creation and reach new audiences.
Disney as a Major OpenAI Customer
Disney will use OpenAI's API to develop new products and experiences, including those for Disney+. Disney employees will receive access to ChatGPT for their everyday work.
Fans can therefore look forward to creating videos featuring characters from films such as Encanto, Frozen, Inside Out, Moana, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, Up, and Zootopia. OpenAI and Disney are working together to make these tools accessible and safe for everyone.
All Subject to Certain Rules
Both companies have committed to the responsible use of AI in a way that protects user safety and creators' rights. OpenAI has pledged to maintain robust controls to prevent the creation of illegal or harmful content. This includes age-appropriate policies and other measures. The agreement respects the rights of content owners and individuals to control their voices and likenesses.
This collaboration comes at a time when Disney is engaged in legal disputes with other AI companies, such as Midjourney, over the unauthorized use of characters. Disney recently sent Google a warning over copyright infringement in model training. In October, the Motion Picture Association called on OpenAI to immediately stop copyright infringement in the Sora app.
Additional sources: cnbc.com and eweek.com
