Disney, OpenAI deal means you can make short videos with Mickey, R2-D2
- - Disney, OpenAI deal means you can make short videos with Mickey, R2-D2
Mike Snider, USA TODAY December 12, 2025 at 4:31 AM
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As part of the Walt Disney Company's $1 billion investment in ChatGPT parent OpenAI, the entertainment giant will let you use Mickey Mouse and other Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters in your own artificial intelligence-created videos.
In addition to making videos with OpenAI's AI-driven video creator Sora, subscribers will be able to watch curated Sora-generated videos on Disney+. Disney "fan-inspired videos" made with Sora are expected to begin in early 2026, the companies said on Thursday, Dec. 11.
As part of the three-year deal, Disney will also use OpenAI's applications to "build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+," and its employees will use ChatGPT's chatbot.
Soon, you can add the character Stitch from Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" franchise, to creations in Open AI's Sora video generator.
The Disney and OpenAI deal is a big step toward an AI-driven future for the House of Mouse, while giving Disney devotees unprecedented control over beloved characters – with copyright holder safeguards.
"The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works," Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement accompanying the deal's announcement.
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The Disney-OpenAI deal coincides with a cease-and-desist letter Disney sent to Google alleging copyright infringement for allowing its works, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters, to be used in AI-generated images and videos. "Google’s AI Services are designed to free ride off Disney’s intellectual property," reads the Dec. 10 letter sent to Google's attorneys, according to a copy acquired by USA TODAY.
Disney's deal is also a coup for OpenAI amid a tumultuous time for the stock market, as some worry that AI investment and optimism may lead to a bubble reminiscent of the 1990s dot-com boom.
"This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences," said OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman in a statement.
What is Sora? And how will Disney characters be involved?
Sora is an AI-driven video generator that can create new videos from your text instructions using existing images and videos – including new ones you have uploaded. You can describe a scene to generate a 10-second vertical video with synchronized audio.
For now, you can cast yourself and approved friends in videos, according to Sora's instructions. But eventually, you will be able to make videos starring Disney characters, such as Disney princesses, including Cinderella, Pixar characters, including those from "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc.," as well as Marvel and Star Wars characters, including Black Panther and Yoda.
Consumers will be able to make 30-second videos using the names and likenesses – but not the voices –of about 200 characters, Iger said during an interview with him and Altman on CNBC on Thursday, Dec. 11.
The feature makes sense, Iger told CNBC, "because we have seen a significant amount of growth in consumption of short-form video (and), we also think this is an era where almost everybody can be a creator of sorts. And we have seen that in breathtaking fashion on other platforms. And this is a way for us as a company, really, to provide experiences to particularly younger audiences engaging with our characters in new ways."
Users of Sora's video generator have a demand for Disney characters that is "off the charts," Altman told CNBC. Consumers will be able to insert themselves into a "lightsaber fight in Star Wars," or make "a Buzz Lightyear custom birthday video for their kid," he said. "I think this is going to be, like, quite a big deal for our users, and then we can reevaluate from there," he added.
The Disney-OpenAI relationship will help both companies and be fun for consumers, Dan Ives, global head of tech research for Wedbush Securities, told USA TODAY.
"This is all about integrating Sora into the Disney network and cross sell for ChatGPT," he said. "It’s a blending of the worlds and a smart move by Disney in our view to dive into the deep end of the pool with OpenAI."
The Walt Disney Company will allow use of more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters including Lightning McQueen from "Cars," in Open AI's Sora video generator.
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How do I get Sora, OpenAI's video generator?
A consumer version of the Sora app is available through Apple's App Store, the Google Play Store and sora.com.
ChatGPT subscribers also get access to Sora. ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20 per month) get limited access to Sora 1 video generation; ChatGPT Pro subscribers ($200 per month) can create longer, higher-resolution Sora videos.
OpenAI on Thursday, Dec. 11, also announced GPT-5.2, which includes advanced features in thinking, reasoning and task solutions for ChatGPT. About 800 million use ChatGPT each week, OpenAI says.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY & Reuters.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected]
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney, OpenAI deal means you can make videos with Mickey Mouse
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