What to know
- Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and entering a three-year licensing agreement for AI use of its characters.
- Users will be able to generate short AI videos featuring characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars on OpenAI’s Sora platform and ChatGPT.
- The deal excludes talent likenesses and voices and includes commitments to responsible AI use and creator rights.
- Disney will use OpenAI’s APIs internally, including on Disney+ products and employee tools.
On December 11, 2025, The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI announced a three-year agreement that could redefine how fans interact with some of the most iconic characters in media.
At the heart of the deal is Disney’s decision to invest roughly $1 billion into OpenAI as part of a licensing partnership. Under this arrangement, OpenAI’s generative video tool Sora — and related image generation features in ChatGPT — will officially be able to generate short, user-prompted video and images using more than 200 characters and assets from Disney’s extensive library, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
This means that rather than unauthorized AI derivatives, fans will soon be able to create imaginative short videos featuring characters like Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, Ariel, Iron Man, Simba and more, all within approved parameters. The content will draw on costumes, props and environments from these worlds, though it will not include the actual voices or real-world likenesses of performers.
Disney and OpenAI are also emphasizing responsible AI use. The agreement includes safeguards to protect user safety and creator rights, aligning with Disney’s ongoing concerns about generative AI’s impact on intellectual property and creative industries.
Beyond fan content, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI’s technology, using its APIs to develop new experiences — potentially including integrations on Disney+ — and deploying ChatGPT internally to support various workflows within the company.
Industry reactions are mixed. Some observers see the partnership as a strategic embrace of AI, blending storytelling with cutting-edge tech, while others raise concerns about how AI will shape creative labor and long-term rights. Regardless, for the first time a major studio has formally licensed its core characters to a generative AI platform, marking a noteworthy milestone in Hollywood’s evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.
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