In a move that promises to redefine personalized entertainment, Disney and OpenAI have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to bring AI-powered, custom-made Mickey Mouse experiences to fans worldwide. The partnership will leverage OpenAI's cutting-edge Sora video generation platform and ChatGPT's image creation capabilities to allow users to create unique content featuring iconic Disney characters.

Under a three-year licensing agreement, Disney will become the first major content partner on Sora, granting users the ability to generate short, social media-ready videos featuring over 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars. This includes beloved figures like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Luke Skywalker, and many others. Users will be able to create scenarios and stories by simply typing in text prompts. For example, fans could potentially generate a video of Iron Man battling Goofy or Mickey Mouse dancing with characters from "Frozen".

In addition to Sora, the collaboration extends to ChatGPT, where users can create images featuring Disney characters using text prompts. Disney is also investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will become a major customer, utilizing OpenAI's APIs to develop new products, tools, and experiences across its platforms, including Disney+. Disney also intends to deploy ChatGPT for its employees.

Disney CEO Bob Iger emphasized the potential of this collaboration: "Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,". He added, "Bringing together Disney's iconic stories and characters with OpenAI's groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we've never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love".

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, echoed this sentiment, stating, "Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling, and we're excited to partner to allow Sora and ChatGPT Images to expand the way people create and experience great content".

The companies have stressed a commitment to responsible AI use, emphasizing the importance of protecting user safety and the rights of creators. The agreement explicitly excludes talent likenesses and voices, ensuring compliance with existing SAG-AFTRA AI agreements. Iger stated that OpenAI is putting "guardrails" around how the AI is used to ensure a safe environment for consumers to engage with Disney characters.

This collaboration signifies a major step for Disney in embracing AI to enhance its storytelling and fan engagement. Disney has been steadily integrating AI across its operations, from theme park experiences to personalized streaming recommendations. Disney has also been developing internal AI systems such as DisneyGPT and Jarvis, designed to assist with tasks ranging from IT support to content creation.

The partnership with OpenAI will allow Disney to further personalize the user experience on Disney+, potentially featuring curated selections of Sora-generated videos. This move is seen as a way to compete with short-form video platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

The implementation of Sora and ChatGPT Images for generating fan-inspired videos with Disney's characters is slated to begin in early 2026.