Disney Invests $1B in OpenAI, Grants Sora Rights to Iconic Characters

Walt Disney Co. ($DIS) agreed to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and will license more than 200 characters—including Mickey Mouse and Cinderella—to Sora, OpenAI’s short-form AI video platform, under a new three-year partnership.

• Disney will allow Sora to generate short, user-prompted social videos using characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars.
• The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices.
• Disney will also adopt OpenAI tools internally, including ChatGPT for employee use.
• Sora’s latest version operates as an invite-only social app enabling users to create and share AI-generated videos.
• This marks the first year Disney has reported lobbying expenditures related to AI policy.

Relevant Companies

• $DIS — Direct participant in the licensing and investment deal.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. This article may be updated as more details become available.