Disney Invests Over $1 Billion in OpenAI, Licenses Major IPs for Sora Video Tool
Disney has announced a three-year deal to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and license approximately 200 Disney properties for use in OpenAI's Sora, a video generation app.
Sora allows users to create short videos up to 20 seconds from text prompts, including their own likeness, and Disney’s licensing covers characters from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and Disney animated films, such as R2-D2 and Stitch. However, talent likenesses and voices are not included in the license.
The agreement follows previous concerns from Disney, which pressed OpenAI to restrict Sora's output strictly to licensed material amid threats of lawsuits over unlicensed usage by rights holders. Disney aims to surface fan-generated Sora videos on its Disney+ platform, intending to reach broad audiences and compete with services like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, characterized the deal as an opportunity to put imagination and creativity directly into fans’ hands, emphasizing the collaboration as empowering fans through "fan-inspired Sora short form videos."
This partnership arrives amid wider industry concerns in Hollywood about AI’s effects on traditional creative roles, including those of writers, actors, and VFX artists.
