Disney and OpenAI announce Three-Year partnership on AI-Generated content

Disney and OpenAI have signed a three-year agreement allowing OpenAI to use over 200 iconic characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars for generative AI—primarily in Sora video generation and ChatGPT image creation.

According to a joint press release, the collaboration will bring authorized, AI-generated short videos and artwork to Disney+—though specific selection criteria have not yet been disclosed.

The deal explicitly excludes real-life likenesses or voices of actors, meaning live-action Marvel and Star Wars characters will only appear in stylized, animated, or illustrated forms.

As part of the agreement, Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and become a major customer, using OpenAI’s tools to develop new experiences for Disney+ and internal employee services via ChatGPT.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said the partnership aims to expand storytelling through generative AI while respecting and protecting creators and their work.

The move follows growing pressure on OpenAI after the launch of its Sora video model, which faced criticism for mimicking copyrighted content without permission. In response, OpenAI has pledged to secure licensing deals with rights holders like Disney.

Meanwhile, Disney has taken a firm stance on IP protection—issuing cease-and-desist letters to Google, Character.ai, Meta, and others, demanding they stop generating content based on Disney’s intellectual property.