Disney invests $1B in OpenAI; Sora to use 200+ Disney characters starting 2026, excluding talent voices/likeness
Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI under a three‑year commercial licensing agreement that makes Disney a "major customer" and lets OpenAI’s Sora users create and share AI videos using more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars beginning in 2026. The deal explicitly excludes talent likenesses and voices and has drawn criticism from advocacy group Fairplay as targeting children, even though OpenAI says children are prohibited from using Sora.
📌 Key Facts
- Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI under a new three-year licensing agreement and says it will become a "major customer" of OpenAI.
- Disney described the arrangement as a new commercial partnership and announced the deal publicly.
- Under the deal, OpenAI’s Sora product will let users create and share AI-generated videos using more than 200 characters from Disney properties, including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, beginning in 2026.
- The agreement explicitly excludes any talent likenesses or voices.
- Children's advocacy group Fairplay criticized the deal as targeting children, while OpenAI says children are prohibited from using Sora.
📊 Relevant Data
Teens with high daily screen time are more likely to have depression symptoms (25.9% vs 9.5%) and anxiety symptoms (27.1% vs 12.3%) compared to those with low screen time.
Associations Between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes ... — CDC
12% of adolescents are at risk of problematic gaming, with boys more likely than girls (16% vs 7%).
Teens, screens and mental health — World Health Organization (WHO)
In the US, the most common ethnicity of animators is White (67.7%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (13.9%), Asian (7.5%), and Unknown (5.8%), compared to the US population where Whites are approximately 60%, Hispanics 19%, Asians 6%, and Blacks 13%.
There are currently over 4,937 animators employed in the United States, with 28.1% female and 71.9% male, compared to the overall US workforce which is approximately 47% female.
100+ Interesting Animation Statistics & Facts (2025 Report) — Passive Secrets
📰 Sources (3)
- The agreement explicitly excludes any talent likeness or voices.
- Disney says it will become a "major customer" of OpenAI under the deal.
- Sora users will be able to create and share videos using the licensed Disney IP starting in 2026.
- Fairplay criticized the deal as targeting children despite OpenAI’s claim that children are prohibited from using Sora.
- Deal term is three years.
- Sora users will be able to create AI videos using more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
- Disney described the arrangement as a new commercial partnership, and announced it on Thursday.