Key Takeaways
- Disney will license characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars to OpenAI’s Sora platform.
- Disney is making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and will use its AI tools for new digital experiences.
The Walt Disney Company has reached a multiyear agreement with OpenAI to become the first major content licensing partner for Sora, the generative video platform that creates short-form user-prompted clips.
The deal allows Sora and ChatGPT Images to generate fan-inspired content using more than 200 animated, masked, and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, along with props, vehicles, and iconic settings. The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices.
Alongside the licensing deal, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI, receive warrants for additional equity, and use OpenAI’s APIs to build new tools and experiences for Disney Plus while deploying ChatGPT across its workforce.
Both companies emphasized their shared commitment to responsible AI. They stated that the collaboration will uphold creator rights, protect users and maintain strong safeguards against harmful or illegal content. OpenAI will continue to apply trust and safety measures across its services.
Under the agreement, curated Sora-generated videos will appear on Disney+ and both companies will work together to power new interactive formats for subscribers. Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to begin generating fan-inspired content with Disney characters in early 2026.
