OpenAI signs deal to bring Disney characters to Sora and ChatGPT

It appears Disney has wasted no time in fulfilling CEO Bob Iger’s promise to bring AI-generated content to Disney+. The company announced Thursday the start of a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI to bring more than 200 of its beloved characters, including Star Wars and Pixar characters, to the Sora app and ChatGPT. With the deal in place, OpenAI users will be able to ask ChatGPT to create images that leverage Disney’s intellectual property, covering costumes, props, vehicles and environments.

The agreement doesn’t include voices or “talent similarities,” meaning Sora users won’t be able to ask the app to create a video with Black Widow and get something with Scarlett Johansson in it. Instead, Sora and ChatGPT will only have access to animated and comic versions of Marvel and Star Wars characters like Black Panther, Captain America, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and others. Disney will stream “curated selections” of fan videos created by Sora on Disney+. Sora and ChatGPT users will be able to start creating photos and videos with Disney characters starting in early 2026.

“Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we are excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to foster innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help businesses reach broad new audiences.”

Disney has also agreed to become an OpenAI customer, promising to use the company’s APIs to build new products, tools and experiences. Additionally, Disney will invest $1 billion in OpenAI, with the option to purchase additional shares in the future. OpenAI recently completed a restructuring process to become a traditional for-profit company, paving the way for a potential initial public offering sometime in the next year or so. However, the agreement brings together two unlikely partners who have been on opposite sides of the copyright debate.

Reaction from the entertainment industry was mixed. In a statement issued on Bluesky, the Writers Guild of America, which represents writers in film, television, and other media, made clear that it was unhappy with the deal:

“Disney’s deal with OpenAI appears to authorize its theft of our work and cede the value of what we create to a technology company that has built its business at our expense. We will meet with Disney to investigate the terms of this deal, including the extent to which user-generated videos will use the work of WGA members. We will continue to fight to protect the creative and economic interests of our members in the context of AI technology.”

SAG-AFTRA, which has about 160,000 members worldwide, has been less controversial. It posted a notice on its site that both Disney and OpenAI had reached out to the union to provide “their assurances that they will fulfill their contractual and legal obligations to performers.” The union indicated that it “will closely monitor the deal and its implementation to ensure compliance with our contracts and applicable laws that protect image, sound and appearance.”

Update, December 11, 5:45 PM ET: This story was updated after publication to include commentary from the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA.