Disney Will Now Let You Create Artificial Intelligence for Your Characters, Like Sora.

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If you’ve been even slightly doomscrolling over the past year, you’ve undoubtedly encountered some outlandish AI-generated content. While there are numerous AI-powered video generators that create this kind of content, one of the most common is OpenAI’s Sora , which is particularly adept at creating realistic short videos that mimic the kind found on TikTok or Instagram Reels. These videos can be so convincing at first glance that people often don’t realize they’re 100% fake. This can be harmless, such as videos of cats playing musical instruments at midnight , but dangerous when they mimic real people or objects.

It was this last point that I thought could counteract the seemingly exponential growth of AI. These companies have trained their AI models on massive amounts of data, much of it copyrighted, meaning people can create images and videos of iconic characters like Pikachu , Superman , and Darth Vader . Large AI generators place restrictions on their platforms to prevent the creation of copyright-infringing videos, but people find ways to circumvent them. As a result, corporations have already begun suing OpenAI, Google, and other AI companies for this blatant intellectual property theft. ( Note: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging that the company infringed Ziff Davis’s copyrights when training and operating its AI systems.)

Disney is releasing its characters to Sora users.

But it seems not all companies are willing to follow this path. Take Disney, for example. On Thursday, OpenAI announced a three-year licensing agreement with the company that created Mickey Mouse. As part of the deal, Sora users can now create videos featuring over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters. The announcement specifically named the following characters and films:

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  • Mickey Mouse

  • Minnie Mouse

  • Lilo

  • Seam

  • Ariel

  • Belle

  • Beast

  • Cinderella

  • Baymax

  • Simba

  • Mufasa

  • Black Panther

  • Captain America

  • Dead Pool

  • Groot

  • Iron Man

  • Loki

  • Thor

  • Thanos

  • Darth Vader

  • Han Solo

  • Luke Skywalker

  • Lei

  • The Mandalorian

  • Stormtroopers

  • Yoda

  • Encanto

  • Frozen

  • Inside out

  • Moana

  • Monsters, Inc.

  • Toy Story

  • Up

  • Zootopia

This includes licensed costumes, props, vehicles, and environments. Furthermore, Disney+ will host a “compilation” of these “fan-made” videos featuring Sora. (I admit, that last part really shocks me.) However, this only applies to Disney’s visual assets, as Sora users won’t have access to the voice acting. ChatGPT users will also be able to create images featuring these characters, so this news isn’t just for Sora users.

You might think OpenAI is paying Disney a hefty licensing fee, but it appears to be quite the opposite. Disney not only pledges to use OpenAI’s APIs to build “products, tools, and experiences,” but also implements ChatGPT for its employees. And, crucially, the company is investing $1 billion in OpenAI equity. (Is that all?)

What do you think at the moment?

I know many companies are implementing AI, often in ways I disagree with. But this deal is a different matter entirely. I’m not sure any Disney executives actually searched for “Sora Disney” online, because right now you can find fake AI-generated trailers for Pixar films full of racism, sexual content, and generally offensive content —all generated using an app to which Disney just licensed all its rights. OpenAI, in its statement, claims that both companies are committed to preventing “illegal or harmful” content on the platform, but Sora users are already creating harmful content. What kind of content can we expect with unlimited access to Disney’s rights?

Now that Disney characters have become the focus of everyone’s attention, I can’t even imagine the kind of trash some users will create. My only hope is that Disney+ will host some of these videos. The staff will have to sift through the unnecessary junk to find videos truly suitable for the platform. And perhaps, seeing the “content” Sora users love to create featuring iconic characters, Disney will have to reconsider its plans.

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