Disney announced Thursday it would make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI as part of a new three-year licensing agreement with the AI company. As part of the deal, Disney said it will also receive warrants to purchase additional equity, becoming a “major” customer of OpenAI.

Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and becoming the first studio to license its characters to Sora — giving fans a way to create AI-generated videos starring Mickey Mouse, Marvel heroes and more.

Starting in 2026, you may be able to create images and videos through OpenAI platforms that draw inspiration from Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Iron Man, and hundreds of other characters that fall under Disney’s intellectual property.

Disney says that alongside the agreement, it will "become a major customer of OpenAI," as it will use its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+.

Users will be able to make short-form content using characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.

Meanwhile, The House of Mouse is suing Midjourney.

Disney is taking a $1 billion equity stake in OpenAI, while also striking a deal that would allow its famous characters be used on Sora, the AI company’s video generation platform.

It's a whole new world for Mickey, Simba, Stitch and more as Disney brings hundreds of its characters to Sora, the short-form video platform from OpenAI, as part of a three-year licensing agreement.