December 12, 2025, 1:37 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Disney and OpenAI have announced a new business pact. It is one of the most far-reaching steps by a media company in dealing with artificial intelligence. Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and granting the company a comprehensive license for three years. Users of the video service Sora can create short films with more than 200 characters from the Disney universe.
What Disney Brings to Sora from OpenAI
The selection includes characters from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, as well as classic animated figures. As reported by the Associated Press, this is the first comprehensive license of its kind for an AI platform. Disney aims to enable new forms of digital content without relinquishing control over its own material.
Among the usable characters are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, Ariel, Belle, Baymax, Simba, and Mufasa, as well as characters from films like “Encanto,” “Frozen,” “Inside Out,” “Moana,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story,” “Up,” and “Zootopia.” Animated and illustrated versions of well-known Marvel and Lucasfilm characters like Black Panther, Iron Man, Loki, Captain America, Darth Vader, and Yoda are also included, along with familiar environments, props, vehicles, and costumes, according to the U.S. industry magazine Variety.
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Sora will soon be able to generate short videos that align with social platform formats. ChatGPT Images will also support this feature. Users can receive fully generated images from just a few input words. Particularly successful clips may also appear on Disney+. Disney remains consistent in protecting its own brands. Actor likenesses and original voices are excluded, as is the use of protected content for training the models. Sora user accounts will not be linked to Disney services.
According to the companies, Disney will also become a major customer of OpenAI. This includes the use of interfaces for developing new products and features, also for Disney+. ChatGPT is to be used internally. Both companies plan new offerings for subscribers with the help of OpenAI models. Initial content is expected in early 2026.
Major Step for Disney and Fans
The deal between Disney and OpenAI means that the Mouse House is aiming for greater engagement with its subscribers, particularly through user-generated short formats. Such a step had been previously announced, as reported by TECHBOOK. The companies emphasize that they want to use AI responsibly while ensuring the rights of creatives are protected.
In parallel, Disney continues legal actions against providers accused of unauthorized use of its content. This includes recent letters to Google, Meta, and Character.AI, as well as ongoing lawsuits against other AI companies. Sora itself was recently criticized because an earlier version of the system required an active opt-out for rights holders. According to “Variety,” OpenAI has since introduced additional control options.