Disney Inks Blockbuster $1B Deal With OpenAI, Handing Characters Over To Sora

[ZariusTwo]

Disney has put its chips in on AI.

The Hollywood giant has signed a major deal with OpenAI, investing $1B in the artificial intelligence giant and handing over characters from Frozen and Star Wars to generative AI video app Sora.

It is comfortably the most significant collaboration between a Hollywood studio and an AI company to date, and suggests Disney has taken the view: if you can’t beat them, join them.

The three-year licensing agreement will allow Sora users to create bespoke fan videos with the likes of Captain America, Yoda, and Moana. A selection of these videos will stream on Disney+, which the company hinted at during an earnings call last month.


Sora 2, the most sophisticated iteration of the app, caused outrage among rights holders when it launched in October. It adopted an opt-out policy, meaning IP was usable on the app until a rights holder issued a removal request.

Disney is now opting in — and in a big way. It is the first major content licensing partner on Sora, which enables users to create short-form videos with text prompts.

Disney will also become a major OpenAI customer, using its tech to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees. The deal does not, however, allow OpenAI to train its machine learning models on Disney IP.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said: “Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world.

“The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.

“Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.”

https://deadline.com/2025/12/disney-...ra-1236645728/

[Autbot_Benz]

That is terrible. AI is garbage

[oldmanwinters]

I've heard the expression "A Deal with the Devil" but I'm not sure I've heard of a Devil x Devil Partnership before.

[CyberCubed]

But why? Doesn't this just encourage people to make illegal stuff with their characters? Isn't this why copyright laws exist?

[Andrew NDB]

I've read over this a couple times and I still have no idea what this really means. Or what the practical application would be. Or why.

[sdp]

Sora releases a social network type of app that's like TikTok where you can remix stuff. It's really cool and tons of viral stuff was creates a few months ago. But of course everyone was making Copyrighted content and they got stricter on its use.
This will basically allow people to go crazy at least with Disney IP with their générations.
It's a win win. Makes Disney relevant, they get money, OpenAI doesn't get sued and people will use their services.
I'm sure we'll see similar deals with other companies in the next few years.
It's literally like early YouTube days when IP holders didn't know how to handle things and then began making deals.

[CyberCubed]

The thing is this is just asking for people to make and sell all illegal stuff with their characters. Remember it's not just Disney, but everything they own like Star Wars, all Marvel characters, etc. too. Like now people can make their own animation or even TV shows with characters that resemble real life actors.

It's like asking for copyright infringement, everything these companies fought against for decades.

[sdp]

All I know is the rumors of Princess Elsa being a lesbian are going to be proven false once people make videos of her being triple teamed by some DEI African American males.