Disney teams with OpenAI in $1 billion Sora deal

The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI have unveiled a sweeping, three-year strategic partnership that will allow users of OpenAI’s generative AI products to create short videos and visuals featuring more than 200 from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

Under the agreement, OpenAI’s Sora — a text-prompted short-form video generation tool — will be licensed to generate and share AI-created clips using animated and illustrated characters, costumes, props and environments drawn from the entertainment giant’s extensive intellectual property catalogue. The deal also expands to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Images, enabling users to convert simple text cues into fully generated images using the same library of characters and settings.

The licensing pact excludes the use of real talent likenesses or voices, meaning that while characters such as Mickey Mouse, Iron Man or Luke Skywalker will be available in generative content, the actual voices and appearances of actors portraying them are not part of the agreement. 

As part of the broader collaboration, Disney is making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, becoming one of its most significant strategic partners and receiving warrants to purchase additional equity. The companies also said Disney will use OpenAI’s technology internally — including deploying ChatGPT across its workforce and building new tools to enhance Disney’s digital products and services. 

The companies have also indicated that a selection of fan-generated Sora videos may be made available on Disney+, giving the streaming service a new form of short-form content and potentially tapping into user engagement trends popularised by platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.  

Disney’s licensing arrangement with OpenAI signals a shift toward structured cooperation between media owners and AI developers, even as broader disputes over training data and copyright continue. If the deal proceeds through customary regulatory and corporate approvals, the first Sora-generated videos featuring Disney’s multi-brand characters are expected to be available to the public in early 2026.