Disney and Adobe have struck a multi-year strategic alliance to build custom generative AI models trained on Disney properties, the companies announced on November 9 at Adobe MAX in Miami Beach. The Disney Adobe alliance makes Adobe an Official AI Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Company and puts Adobe Firefly Foundry at the center of Disney creative work, from theme park design to the film studio and ESPN.
Under the deal, Disney will work directly with Adobe on generative AI models tailored to its properties, described by both companies as human-centered and artist-led. The models will be trained on what Adobe calls unique world knowledge, including character attributes, environments and visual styles, to generate commercially safe and production-ready outputs. The models will remain private and proprietary to Disney, Reuters reported.
What Was Announced?
Adobe will give Disney early access to its latest AI, creative and media technologies, including Adobe Firefly for generative AI, Adobe Firefly Foundry for proprietary AI models, Adobe Premiere for video editing and Adobe Photoshop for digital imaging. Adobe will also commit dedicated engineering and research resources to support the Disney production pipeline.
The alliance covers Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, ESPN Edge and The Walt Disney Studios innovation hub, StudioLAB. Adobe joins StudioLAB as an Innovation Partner, working with Disney creatives and technologists to prototype tools and expand internal creative workflows. With ESPN Edge, the two companies will look for ways AI can deepen fan engagement and bring more of ESPN’s archive to audiences.
Adobe will also increase its presence across Disney media platforms, and the partnership will show up at Adobe Summit, Adobe MAX and other major industry conferences. The companies did not disclose financial terms.
Already in Use at Imagineering
The deal is not only a promise of future work. Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development is already using Firefly Foundry in the theme park development pipeline, including a sketch-to-image model that turns hand-drawn concepts into fully rendered 2D concept art and a custom image model that generates on-brand, franchise-accurate creative assets.
Disney executives say the tools are already compressing development timelines. “And what Adobe Foundry has allowed us to do is compress the creative process that would have taken months to now being able to do that in hours and days,” Kyle Laughlin, senior vice president of research and development technology and engineering at Disney, told Reuters.
Graphic: GPTOnline, using Adobe and Disney brand assets.
What the Companies Said
Hannah Elsakr, vice president of GenAI New Business Ventures at Adobe, framed the deal as the next step in a decades-long relationship. “Today’s announcement marks the next chapter of the relationship, where the two companies will build a new creative foundation that thoughtfully deploys AI as an accelerant for artistic vision, creativity and guest engagement,” she said.
Becca Vodnoy, senior vice president of Corporate Alliances at The Walt Disney Company, said the alliance gives Disney storytellers new tools. “By bringing together Disney’s world-class storytellers and beloved brands with Adobe’s technology, we have an exciting opportunity to give our creative teams new ways to explore and develop their ideas and bring Disney stories and experiences to life for guests and fans around the world,” she said.
Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Image: Katie Rommel-Esham, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Why It Matters
The alliance builds on work that began in June 2026, when Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development said it would bring Firefly Foundry into design and pre-production for Disney Parks and Experiences. The November announcement widens that pilot into a company-wide relationship spanning parks, cruises, the studio and sports media.
For Disney, one of the most protective owners of intellectual property in entertainment, the deal signals a controlled path into generative AI. Rather than training on open web data, the custom models are built on Disney’s own characters, worlds and visual styles, and the outputs stay inside the company. That artist-led framing matters in an industry still arguing over how studios should use AI without undermining the artists who create their most valuable assets.
For Adobe, the partnership is a showcase for Firefly Foundry, its enterprise product for building proprietary models. Landing Disney as its flagship partner gives Adobe a high-profile proof point that large media companies will pay to build custom, IP-safe generative AI rather than rely only on general-purpose tools.
