Disney and OpenAI are set to open the vault to Sora — yet an AI Mickey feels like magic lost

This is bold: The Walt Disney Company has struck a three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI, which will allow Sora, the AI video generation tool, to use classic Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters.

Additionally, Disney’s making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI – with the possibility of more – but for a company that’s been strict and intentional with the use of its characters, this is surprising.

Especially so, as with this agreement, classic characters like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, as well as those from franchises like Frozen, Toy Story, Moana, Zootopia, and mainstays from the Star Wars and Marvel universes, will be eligible for use as licensed characters within OpenAI and Sora. So while it might seem fitting for Deadpool and Stitch to be thrown into some crazy scenes, for a company that’s been so strict on storytelling and use ...