Zootopia is one of the properties included in Disney’s billion-dollar licensing deal with OpenAI.
If you’ve ever wanted to conjure up a scenario between yourself, Han Solo and the crew from Zootopia, you’re in luck. The Walt Disney Company has reached a licensing agreement with OpenAI that brings Disney characters and images to Sora, the AI company’s short-form video generator. A joint statement from the companies says the three-year deal will let people create and share videos using “more than 200” animated characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.
The statement notes the agreement “does not include any talent likeness or voices.” As part of the deal, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI and become a “major customer” of the company.
Fairplay, a nonprofit that advocates reducing children’s screen time, criticized the agreement, saying it “betrays kids.” The group accused Disney of helping OpenAI lure young children to its platform despite OpenAI’s claim that children are prohibited from using Sora.
Disney and OpenAI said they share a commitment to protecting creators’ rights while “maintaining robust controls to prevent the generation of illegal or harmful content.” Sora users will be able to take advantage of the agreement starting in 2026.