Zootopia is one of the properties included in Disney’s billion-dollar licensing deal with OpenAI.
The Walt Disney Company has reached a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI that brings Disney characters and images to Sora, OpenAI’s short-form video generator. The joint statement from the companies says the deal will let people create and share videos using “more than 200” animated characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.
The agreement explicitly excludes any talent likenesses or voices.
As part of the arrangement, Disney will invest $1 billion into OpenAI and become a “major customer” of the company.
Fairplay, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on reducing children’s screen time, criticized the deal, saying it “betrays kids” and accusing Disney of helping OpenAI attract young users despite claims that children are prohibited from using Sora.
Disney and OpenAI said they share a commitment to protecting creators’ rights and will maintain “robust controls to prevent the generation of illegal or harmful content.”
Sora users will be able to use the Disney character assets starting in 2026.