Disney making $1 billion investment in OpenAI, will allow characters on Sora AI video generator

[HauntedPirate]

But... how will ordinary fans now generate the Disney-approved, AI-generated-content Bob said would be available on Disney+?

 

[Notes from Neverland]

This investment always seemed precarious. Disney will probably be thankful to have the $1 billion back.

 

[Tha Realest]

look at it this way- Villains Land may be shaking things up and the digital forays aren’t panning out, but at least they have Abu Dhabi!

 

[Tha Realest]

This investment always seemed precarious. Disney will probably be thankful to have the $1 billion back.

How do we know they are getting it back?

 

[VJ]

This investment always seemed precarious. Disney will probably be thankful to have the $1 billion back.

considering the investment was in openai and not sora itself, i think disney knows they kissed that money goodbye

 

[coffeefan]

 

[WaluigiTime]

This is one of the best thread bumps possible.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

How do we know they are getting it back?

That's what's being reported.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Josh is making moves, baby!

 

[coffeefan]

There's only room for one Sora at Disney.

 

[Nirya]

Disney has been trying to kill Sora for years, nice to see they finally something in a way that everyone could be satisfied.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

…rats off the ship first

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney has been trying to kill Sora for years, nice to see they finally something in a way that everyone could be satisfied.

Disney can’t find their way around “tech” with a map and a flashlight…

The list of scuffles is long, but distinguished

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Josh is making moves, baby!

Watching all of bobs legacy deals collapse?

 

[Jambo Dad]

It feels like thought they had to be doing AI video stuff with no clear vision as to how it would actually help.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It feels like thought they had to be doing AI video stuff with no clear vision as to how it would actually help.

It harkens to the purchase of Go.com

 

[HauntedPirate]

Watching all of bobs legacy deals collapse?

“I had nothing to do with any of this”

 

[Disney Analyst]

Okay so just a note: Josh didn’t make a move.
OpenAI made the move to shut down Sora, which in turn ends the agreement…

Disney is just releasing a statement as a result of OPENAI shuttering the program.

But this is a good thing for Disney, the question is what do they decide to do next? Find a new partner or leave AI alone for a while?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Perplexity, list and rank all the AI video generators​

There is no definitive way to “list and rank all AI video generators” because new tools launch constantly and rankings differ by use case, but here is a concise, up‑to‑date ranking of the major players as of 2026, grouped by what they’re best at.almcorp+5

Top cinematic / text‑to‑video models​

These focus on generating original footage from prompts or images.

• Kling 3.0 – Often rated best overall cinematic quality and realism, especially for photorealistic humans and long clips (up to ~2 minutes).creatify+3
• Google Veo 3 / 3.1 – Top general‑purpose model for consistent, prompt‑faithful text‑to‑video; strong 4K support and cinematic realism.barchart+2
• OpenAI Sora 2 – Benchmark for photorealism and physics; great for narrative, imaginative scenes, but access and consistency vary by use case.manus+3
• Runway Gen‑4 – “Pro” choice with granular control, keyframes, and generative editing; strong for film‑style work and workflows.zapier+3
• Luma Dream Machine – Very fast, highly cinematic short clips; good for ideation and image‑to‑video.reddit+3
• Magic Hour – Optimized for fast, longer text‑to‑video (up to 60 seconds) for social content and scripts.barchart
• Pika – Popular for creative, stylized, social‑media‑friendly content.manus
• MiniMax / Hailuo – “Sleeper” model with strong motion and stylized results, good value pricing.massive+2

Quick ranking by pure generation quality (non‑avatar)​

1. Kling 3.0 / Kling AIcreatify+1
2. OpenAI Sora 2reddit+2
3. Google Veo 3.1almcorp+2
4. Runway Gen‑4zapier+2
5. Luma Dream Machinecreatify+3
6. Magic Hourbarchart
7. Pikamanus
8. Hailuo / MiniMaxmassive+2

Avatar / talking‑head and business video tools​

These are best for explainers, training, sales, and “spokesperson” style content.

• HeyGen – Strong for personalized videos, multi‑language translation, custom avatars, and interactive avatars; widely used for marketing and sales.thatworksmedia+2
• Synthesia – One of the most established for corporate training, HR, and internal communications with realistic avatars.thatworksmedia+2
• Vyond – Focused on animated characters and explainer videos with AI assistance.thatworksmedia+1
• Live Avatar by HeyGen – Real‑time interactive avatars for support and live experiences.zapier

Rough ranking for corporate/learning use​

1. HeyGenmanus+2
2. Synthesiathatworksmedia+2
3. Vyondzapier+1
4. Live Avatar (HeyGen)zapier

Hybrid creation / editing suites​

These combine AI generation with timelines, editing, and other production tools.

• Descript – Script‑driven editing plus some AI video generation; great for podcasts and talking‑head content.almcorp
• LTX Studio – High control over multi‑shot, storyboarded projects built from AI scenes.zapier
• Adobe Firefly video – Emphasizes commercially safe outputs and integration with Adobe workflows.zapier
• Massive/MASV‑tracked tools (Seedance, etc.) – Niche options focused on pro workflows, multi‑shot prototyping, and collaboration.massive

Snapshot table of notable tools​

Tool	Main strength	Typical use case
Kling 3.0	Top‑tier realism, long clips	Ads, short films, photoreal humans creatify+1
Google Veo 3.1	Reliable, prompt‑faithful, 4K	General text‑to‑video, cinematic b‑roll almcorp+2
OpenAI Sora 2	Photorealism, physics, creativity	Storytelling, ambitious concepts barchart+3
Runway Gen‑4	Control and editing	Filmmaking, pro workflows reddit+2
Luma Dream Machine	Speed + cinematic short clips	Ideation, quick shots creatify+2
Magic Hour	Fast, longer text‑to‑video	Shorts, Reels, scripted social posts barchart
Pika	Stylized, social content	Memes, creative experiments manus
HeyGen	Avatars, translation, personalization	Sales, marketing, localized content manus+2
Synthesia	Corporate training avatars	L&D, HR, compliance videos manus+2
Vyond	Animated explainers	Cartoons, explainers, e‑learning thatworksmedia+1
LTX Studio	Multi‑scene creative control	Concept pieces, storyboards zapier
Adobe Firefly	Safe, integrated assets	Brand‑safe commercial work zapier

 

[MR.Dis]

From reading all the reports, it is not that Disney is getting the funds back, they never actually paid out much to begin with. The money paid out is lost, but it does not appear to be a large amount.