Disney Invests $1 Billion in OpenAI and Opens Access to Its Characters
Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI; a three-year deal allows the Sora platform to use more than 200 characters — from Mickey Mouse to Marvel and Star Wars heroes. The deal does not cover actors' voices or likenesses, and the company will also become a key OpenAI client.
By Oleg Bazylewicz
December 11, 2025 · 1 min read
Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and is granting the Sora platform the right to use its archival images — from Mickey Mouse to characters from Marvel and Star Wars — to create short videos from text prompts. The deal is set for three years and does not extend to voices or actors' likenesses.
License for characters
Sora — OpenAI's app for generating video from text and creating AI avatars. Disney is opening access to more than 200 characters from its studios, including characters from Pixar and Lucasfilm, allowing users to bring familiar figures to life in a new format.
Partnership and AI implementation
In addition to the investment, Disney will become one of OpenAI's major customers: the company plans to roll out ChatGPT for employees and develop products based on machine intelligence. According to Bob Iger, the company aims to master new storytelling approaches while minimizing risks for creative workers.
Other media companies are also experimenting with generative AI: for example, OpenAI is preparing AI-created animation for screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and tools like Runway AI are being used in visual effects work to save resources.
