The Walt Disney Company on Thursday unveiled a $1 billion investment in OpenAI and a three-year licensing agreement that will let OpenAI’s Sora video generator create short clips featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
The arrangement is described as the first major licensing partnership tied to OpenAI’s current AI video platform, which has drawn scrutiny from segments of the industry since its September launch.
Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger framed the pact as a careful expansion of storytelling through generative AI, aimed at extending Disney’s reach while protecting creators and their works.
Under the licensing terms, Sora users will be able to generate videos featuring icons such as Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader, along with characters from Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars—though the arrangement does not include talent likenesses or voices and relies on robust content-moderation controls.
OpenAI and Disney described the deal as a model for collaboration between AI developers and entertainment studios, though questions remain about licensing fees and whether Disney IP will be used to train future models.
