The Walt Disney Company has finalized a licensing agreement with OpenAI, integrating Disney characters and imagery into Sora, OpenAI's artificial intelligence-powered short-form video generator.
Agreement Scope
The three-year agreement will enable users of Sora to generate and disseminate videos featuring more than 200 animated characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars franchises. A specific clause within the agreement stipulates that it does not encompass the likeness or voices of any talent.
Financial Investment
Under this arrangement, Disney will invest $1 billion into OpenAI. This investment also positions Disney as a "major customer" for the AI company.
Public and Corporate Responses
Fairplay, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to reducing children's screen time, released a statement critical of the agreement. Fairplay characterized the deal as "betraying kids," alleging that OpenAI is using popular characters to attract young users to its platform, despite claiming to prohibit children from using Sora. The organization further criticized Disney for its role in this effort.
Conversely, Disney and OpenAI issued a joint statement asserting their mutual commitment to safeguarding creator rights. They also emphasized maintaining stringent controls to prevent the generation of content deemed illegal or harmful.
Availability
The functionalities facilitated by this licensing agreement are scheduled for release to Sora users starting in 2026.