Disney And Adobe Sign Multi-Year Deal To Develop Custom AI Models

Disney and Adobe have announced a multi-year partnership to develop customised artificial intelligence models for the entertainment company, expanding the use of AI across theme parks, film production and sports media.

The agreement, announced on Monday, will allow Disney to develop AI tools trained on its own creative properties, including characters, fictional settings and distinctive visual styles.

The companies say the technology will help creative teams develop ideas more quickly while maintaining control over Disney’s intellectual property. The partnership also gives Disney early access to Adobe’s emerging creative and AI technologies.

Disney Expands AI Use Beyond Theme Park Design

The agreement builds on an earlier collaboration between Adobe and Walt Disney Imagineering, the division responsible for designing and developing Disney’s theme parks and attractions.

In June 2026, the companies announced work involving Adobe’s Firefly Foundry platform to support design and pre-production activities.

The latest agreement broadens that relationship to include Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB innovation centre and ESPN Edge, which develops new technologies for sports media.

At Disney’s theme parks and cruise businesses, AI tools will help designers experiment with concepts before committing to expensive construction or production work.

Disney Imagineering is already using a system that converts hand-drawn sketches into detailed digital artwork.

Another customised image-generation model can produce creative material that follows the company’s established visual identity.

These tools could allow designers to examine multiple versions of an attraction, setting or visual concept before selecting a final approach.

According to Disney executive Kyle Laughlin, some creative processes that previously required months can now be completed within hours or days.

He also said the technology is intended to support Imagineering employees rather than replace their roles.

Custom AI Models Built Around Disney’s Characters

A central part of the partnership involves Adobe Firefly Foundry, a platform that allows businesses to create AI models tailored to their own requirements.

Unlike general-purpose AI image generators, these customised models can be designed to understand a company’s specific characters, settings and artistic standards.

For example, a model developed for Disney could help an authorised designer create concepts that remain consistent with the appearance of a particular fictional world.

The companies say their models will use Disney’s intellectual property and remain proprietary to the entertainment group.

This is significant because entertainment companies have raised concerns about how generative AI systems use copyrighted images, characters and other creative works.

Disney’s approach centres on developing tools using creative material it controls, with Adobe providing the underlying technology and engineering support.

However, describing a model as commercially safe does not establish that every output will be free from legal or creative risks.

Questions about human oversight, the quality of generated material and the appropriate use of copyrighted content will remain important as adoption expands.

What Generative AI Means For Creative Production

Generative AI refers to technology capable of creating new material, including images, text, audio or video, in response to instructions.

These systems learn patterns from training material and use that information to produce new outputs.

For entertainment companies, the technology can help with early-stage creative tasks such as producing sample artwork, exploring different visual styles and testing concepts.

It does not necessarily mean that a completed film, attraction or television programme can be produced without human involvement.

Disney and Adobe have described their planned systems as tools intended to assist creative professionals.

The companies have not announced that their agreement will replace existing production teams or eliminate traditional design processes.

Their partnership also includes access to Adobe products such as Photoshop and Premiere, alongside dedicated research and engineering support.

ESPN And Disney Studios Join The AI Expansion

The partnership extends beyond visual design for theme parks.

At Walt Disney Studios, Adobe will collaborate with StudioLAB to explore tools that could improve internal creative workflows and help production teams develop ideas.

The ESPN Edge initiative will examine how AI can improve sports storytelling and make better use of ESPN’s extensive content archive.

Potential applications include developing new ways to organise, present and reuse sports material, although the companies have not announced a specific consumer-facing product resulting from the agreement.

The partnership also includes marketing and industry-event collaborations involving Disney’s entertainment and tourism businesses.

For Adobe, the agreement provides an opportunity to demonstrate how enterprise-specific AI tools can operate within a major entertainment organisation.

For Disney, it creates a framework for expanding AI use while retaining greater control over its creative assets.

The companies did not disclose the financial value of the agreement or provide a detailed timetable for deploying every planned system.